Beruanie Month 2017
by OhGodWhy151
Summary: A series of one-shots for each day of July focusing on Bertholdt and Annie and their relationship across various situations, including spoilers and NSFW
1. Day 1 Spooning

Day 1- Spooning

It couldn't be easy, it just couldn't be uneventful. The simplest of exercises had to turn into fight for survival and Annie was really tired of all the drama. So when the blue of the sky was engulfed in the angry grey of clouds she knew what was coming. Looking ahead of her she could see Reiner, Bertholdt and the others carving a path through the snow, only seconds after Annie had noticed the encroaching storm Reiner stopped in his tracks and looked to the sky.

"It looks like a blizzard is coming. Armin where was that cave we saw on the map?" He asked.

Fumbling for the map Armin looked between the map and his surroundings. "There are two caves actually. The one head of us is larger but it'll take us longer to get there and the other one is only roughly half an hour away away but there's hardly enough room for all of us."

Reiner hummed. "We should stick together and head to the larger cave. How long will it take us to get there?" He asked turning once again to Armin.

Looking down at the map Armin let out a defeated sigh. "It'll take over an hour."

Not hesitating Reiner took his pack off of his shoulders and pulled out a long coil of rope. "Connie, Sasha. Use your rope to anchor everyone together, we'll be walking through that and we don't want anyone getting lost."

"Speak for yourself, I'm going to the smaller cave, there's no way I'm walking through a blizzard." Annie sighed as she turned on her heels and walked away.

Bertholdt, who had stayed quiet as Reiner explained the plan immediately stepped forward towards his friend. "Those clouds look really bad, we can't leave her alone. She'll freeze."

Reiner rubbed his eyes. "Annie isn't one to listen, take an extra bag of supplies and go with her," Seeing the pink blush creep us Bertholdt's cheeks Reiner leaned towards him with a smile. "And I want to hear all about your night _alone_ with Annie tomorrow."

Not wanting to give Reiner the satisfaction of eliciting a response Bertholdt simply grabbed the extra supplies and broke out into a jog after Annie.

(Twenty minutes later)

"Why are you following me?" Annie asked as she traipsed through the snow. Since heading towards the cave a sharp wind had picked up and neither their coats or blankets were enough to stop the icy touch of the elements.

Bertholdt took a moment to warm his hands with his breath before answering. "You don't where the cave is and you don't have enough supplies to last the night."

"You don't know that, and maybe I wanted some time away from everyone."

Bertholdt roughly shrugged his shoulders to stop his bag from slipping before picking up the pace to come to Annie's side. "That doesn't change the fact that you don't have enough supplies… We're not invincible you know."

This time Annie did stop, suddenly she was all too aware of the cold that bit at her fingers and the wind that drained more of her energy with every step. "I guess you're right," She eventually admitted after taking a brief moment to look over and see the extra bag on Bertholdt's shoulders. "If it's you I guess it won't be too bad. So where is this cave then?" She asked as Bertholdt pulled out the map.

With Bertholdt's help it only took the two of them a handful of minutes to find the cave, upon finding it Bertholdt put the bags on the ground and rolled his shoulders groaning slightly at the pain. "Armin wasn't kidding, this thing is tiny." Bertholdt sighed as he dipped his head.

The cave itself was nothing more than an extended overhang that went back only a couple of meters and was ever smaller when it came to height. And while Bertholdt was distraught at the number of times he would undoubtedly hit his head on the ceiling, Annie on the other hand seemed almost happy with the size of the camp.

"This is good," She explained. "If we can get a fire going we should be able to warm up." Although the smile on Annie's lips was more than enough to warm Bertholdt's cheeks.

By the time they had finally gotten a fire going the winds had strengthened into a howling wall of ice and snow. The joy of igniting the kindling they had spent an age searching for quickly vanished whenever a particularly strong gust of wind threatened to snuff their only source of warmth. Even with the extra blankets Bertholdt had brought with him they were nothing against sheer icy bite of the blizzard, looking over from the fire to see Annie huddled against the cave wall, Bertholdt had hoped that by having his back to the wind he could shield her from the worst of the elements but judging from the violent nature of Annie's shivering it wasn't working.

 _You know what you could do to help._ Bertholdt thought to himself as a pit quickly formed in his stomach. "Um… Annie," He mumbled. "Are you cold?"

Annie's reply came in the form of a bark like laugh. "Take a guess."

Scolding himself for asking such a stupid question Bertholdt sat up. "You don't have to but… it would be a good idea to share body heat… If you want."

Even the wind seemed to die down in the painfully quiet silence that followed as Bertholdt awaited an answer. There were no words as Annie shuffled towards his open arms, once she approached him Annie simply lay down on her side and grabbed Bertholdt's hand and pulled him around her.

They fit together like two puzzle pieces, the way she curled up and Bertholdt molded around her. The effect was immediate as warmth seeped from his chest and heart into her back and neck, although Annie was distracted from the relief of the warmth that now coursed through her body by the sheer speed and force with which Bertholdt's heart was pounding. However it wasn't enough to keep her from succumbing the heaviness of her eyelids and soon she was fast asleep in Bertholdt's arms, who didn't sleep at all that night, instead choosing to relish in the feeling of having Annie in his arms.


	2. Day 2 CookingBaking

Day 2 - Cooking/Baking

"How could this happen!?" Sasha screamed, all pairs of eyes quickly found her falling to her knees in the doorway of the pantry. "We're out of bread!" A collective sigh fell across the kitchen hall.

"That's what all this commotion is about?" Eren groaned as he finished peeling another potato.

Armin chuckled as he too threw another cleanly peeled potato into the bucket. "The next ration delivery is in two days," He explained much to Sasha's horror. "You can go two days without bread right?"

"Yeah," Reiner echoed from his seat. "At least we have plenty of potatoes." He scoffed.

Clawing at her hair Sasha wailed. "I can't eat just potatoes!" The pitch of her voice caught the attention of Bertholdt, who had up until this point been happily washing and drying dishes. "I need juicy meat… and, and bread! I need light, soft bread!"

"I second that," Annie said from her corner of the kitchen. "I can already tell I'm going to get sick if I eat boiled potatoes for the next two days."

Sasha quickly got to her feet and made her way next to Annie. "See! We're growing girls. We need more than potatoes."

"Um… Sasha. What's left in the pantry?" Bertholdt asked as he stood to his full height.

It took only a minute for Sasha to check what remained of the food store, poking her head around the doorway she listed the contents. "Flour, salt, yeast and even some butter."

Bertholdt sighed and rolled up his sleeves. "Okay. Sasha get me the flour and other ingredients. Reiner could you get some water from the well?" With a wide smirk Reiner nodded. "Thanks," He said before turning to Annie. An-"

Before he could finish Annie cut him off. "I'll get the oven burning." She said walking past him with a faint smile.

Minutes later Bertholdt was mixing the flour with the water, salt, yeast and butter. Most of the cadets had returned to their original duties with the exceptions of Sasha, who was watching Bertholdt work with great impatience. And Annie who occasionally looked over from the oven to check on his progress. Eventually Sasha lost interest and left leaving Annie and Bertholdt alone.

"You know I haven't seen you bake anything in years, why now?" Annie asked as she stoked to fire.

Wiping the sweat from his brow Bertholt chuckled. "Well you seemed hungry. So I thought I'd see what I could do with what we have."

"You used to bake stuff for us all the time during training. Remember when you made that cake that one time, for Reiner's birthday?" Bertholdt nodded with a smile that matched Annie's. "I thought Reiner and Peick were going to swoon."

"I just wanted to be useful… for something other than… what we do." He sighed as he kneaded the dough with his bare hands. Looking behind her Annie made her way to Bertholdt's side.

Shock, would not begin to describe the feeling of Annie's hand resting gently on his shoulder. "You're more than that, you're our anchor… and baker." She whispered before going back to check on the oven.

Spurred on by Annie's sudden gesture Bertholdt added the water to the dough before kneading into shape and laying it out on the tray. "Is the oven hot enough?"

Annie nodded and Bertholdt carefully slide the loaf into the oven and once again wiped the sweat from his brow. "I'll make the next one if you want," Annie suggested.

"Huh? Are you sure? I don't mind doing it myself."

With a shrug Annie started to make the next batch of dough. "You shouldn't have to do all the work, besides there's a lot of bread to make if you want to feed us all."

Bertholdt laughed. "I guess you're right. I could do with the help. Thank you." He said with a slight nod.

The two of them worked in a comfortable silence, preparing the ingredients, making the dough, kneading the dough and putting it in the oven. It didn't take long for the two of them to quickly cook up a substantial number of loafs.

"Wow!" Sasha gasped as Annie pulled the final loaf from the oven. "You guys make a great team." Bertholdt felt an all too familiar blush crawl up his cheeks as others began to thank both him and Annie for their efforts.

"Since you gave me the idea," Bertholdt said, reaching for one of the fresher doughs. "You should have one first." He explained holding the bun out to Sasha who plucked it out of his hand and thanked him.

And before he was swarmed by hungry friends he reached for the warmest, softest bread roll and handed it to Annie. "Thank you." Bertholdt said before reluctantly turning his attention to the growing queue of famished soldiers.

That evening Annie sat outside, watching the sun dip below the horizon, she was enjoying the view and the accompanying quiet when her stomach growled. Reaching to the bread Bertholdt had given her she gently tore it open and relished in the warmth that escaped. Annie took her time nibbling her way through the soft, light dough that Bertholdt had baked for her and by the time she had finished a rare, fulfilled smile spread across her lips.

"Warm and soft," She hummed to herself. "Reminds me of him." She whispered with the faintest of blushes.


	3. Day 3 University AU

Day 3 - University AU

"Are you staring at her again?" Reiner sighed. "Why don't you do the logical thing and… talk to her!"

Reiner's sudden increase in volume shook Bertholdt from his trance, he looked down to the lecturer and then to his friend. "Are you crazy? There's no way I could talk to her, what if I make a fool of myself?"

Rolling his eyes Reiner turned his attention back to his work. "You already look like a fool when you gawk at her."

"I don't gawk," Bertholdt retorted. "I just… admire. "

Bertholdt spent the remainder of the lecture looking between his notes and Annie Leonhardt who was sitting a mere two rows in front of him. Since his first day Bertholdt had only had eyes for Annie, whenever he saw in the corridor, campus or anywhere for that matter, Bertholdt felt his chest tighten.

The minute the lecture ended Annie stood and was the first to leave. Once she was out of sight Bertholdt felt his chest ease slightly. "Seriously man, it'd do you good to just talk to her. Maybe she even feels the same."

"Funny," Bertholdt jeered. "I'm heading back to my room to get started on this essay."

Reiner scoffed. "You have fun with that, I'm going to get a drink with Historia and Ymir." With that he waved Bertholdt off before heading to the bar.

Once he reached his dorm Bertholdt climbed the familiar set of stairs to his room and opened the door. Stretching his arms over his head Bertholdt sat down at his desk and set about working, however it quickly became aware to him that his thoughts were going to wander from the books in front of him.

 _Annie's so pretty and her grades are nearly top of the class. There's no way she'd want to talk to me._ He thought to himself. With a firm shake of his head Bertholdt cleared any thoughts of Annie from his mind. _Focus, you've got to get this work done._ Reinvigorated to finish his essay Bertholdt worked late into the night.

At just past midnight Bertholdt came to stop and rubbed his temples. "I forgot to grab the books I needed from the library," He sighed. Quickly drinking the rest of his coffee Bertholdt dashed out of room and into the corridor where he collided with something small and blonde.

"Watch where you're going." The voice hissed. Looking down Bertholdt saw its source.

Red instantly rose on his cheeks as he fumbled to offer his hand to Annie. "I'm sorry, I was in a rush."

Annie bat his hand away and brushed down her knees as she stood up. "I can tell. Where were you heading?"

Bertholdt scratched the back of his head. "I was heading to the library, I needed to pick up a couple books."

Surprise flickered briefly in Annie's eyes. "For the essay that was set earlier?" Bertholdt nodded. "It's Friday night, I thought everyone would have gone out."

With a dry chuckle, Bertholdt answered. "I'm not the going out type and besides, I wanted to get it out of the way."

"I was heading to the library as well."

"Were you doing the essay as well?" Bertholdt asked.

Annie nodded in reply. "Yeah. Wait here and we can go together."

Much to Bertholdt's surprise Annie turned on her heels and walked into the room next to his. _...Annie's been living next to me all this time? How did I not know?_

Minutes later Annie appeared from her room with her bag over her shoulder. "You ready to head off?" She asked, seemingly unaware of the furious shade of red on Bertholdt's cheeks. With a small nod Annie walked away with Bertholdt following behind her.

The two of them walked in a comfortable silence towards the library, even in the darkness of night Anine didn't seem to flinch at the shadows or the chilling cold and as they approached the building Bertholdt warmed his hands with his breath to stave off the chill in his fingers.

"You're cold?" Annie asked.

"Yeah, I don't do well in the cold." He chuckled.

Rolling her eyes Annie stuffed her hands in her pockets. "I'll get you a coffee if you're that cold."

"No, no!" Bertholdt stuttered. "If anything I should be buying you a coffee since I ran into you."

Annie hummed. "That's right, I like my coffee with cream, sugar and one espresso shot." She explained as they walked into the library.

"Is that all or do I need a notepad?" Bertholdt asked, eliciting a light giggle from Annie.

"No," Annie hummed as she reached for a book. Seeing her struggle to reach the document Bertholdt walked behind her and dropped it down to her. "I'll go with you."

"I think the cafe is closed at this time."

Annie pouted. "Of course it is," She mumbled as she sat down. "I'm saying we should go another time."

There was no hiding the blush that crept up Bertholdt's neck and cheek. "Like… a date?"

"If that it suits you," Annie shrugged. "You live next to me but I guess it would be helpful to have your number."

"My… my number?" Bertholdt coughed.

Looking up from her book Annie rolled her eyes. "Yeah. How else am I going to text you about our date."

After giving Annie his number the two of them set about their work, stopping only to find new books. They worked late into the night and early into the morning, so comfortable in each other's presence they didn't notice the time or the light hues of blue that heralded the rising of the sun.

"We've been up pretty much all night," Bertholdt yawned as he closed his book. "I'm going to sleep like a log when I get to bed."

Annie stifled a yawn of her own. "At least we've nearly finished the work that was set," She explained as she stood to put her books away. "And I could definitely go for that coffee about now."

Maybe it was the exhaustion or the fact he had a date planned with Annie but Bertholdt felt a strange sense of confidence flow through his veins. "If… If we go today you'll have to pay next time."

As she made her way to the exit Annie turned around and tucked a stray bang of golden hair behind her ear. "If that's the case, I'll see you later today then." She said with a smile before leaving Bertholdt with a nearly painfully tight chest and burning red cheeks.


	4. Day 4 Holding hands

Day 4 - Holding hands

For Bertholdt it was heights, the fear of falling, the void that formed in the pit of his stomach as gravity threatened to pull him towards the ground as fast as air resistance would let him.

And for Annie it was the ear splitting roars of thunder and sudden blinding flashes of lightning. No matter how hard she tried to ignore the sky shattering cackles Annie found herself screwing her eyes shut under her bed covers.

When she moved in with Bertholdt she had found it slightly easier to deal with any storms that rained down over their appartment. Slightly. Annie still found herself unable to sleep whenever a storm was forecast for the night, instead she would do anything to distract her from the insesent rain.

Bertholdt would either sleep soundly through the tempest, sometimes it seemed that he slept even better when the elements pounded against their bedroom window. When he was awake however Bertholdt would do anything but sleep, he loved the howling wind and watching the sky flash with each bolt of lightning. Sometimes he would try to convince Annie to step out onto the balcony with him, but every time he was met with the same sarcastic laugh.

"Hey Ann, what if I got you a CD of storm sounds? Maybe that'd help." Bertholdt suggested one day, looking up from his laptop.

"Bertholdt," Annie sighed. "It's just a little fear. We all have them. What about you and heights?"

"I try to overcome my fear when I can," Bertholdt explained. "How about this, next time there's a storm we'll sit near the balcony and see how you feel from there?"

Sighing Annie rubbed her temples. "You're not going to quit trying to convince me are you?"

"I'll take that as a yes then." Bertholdt chuckled with a wide smile as he saw the weather forecast for that night.

The moment Annie looked out the window and saw the imposing grey clouds covering the sky she turned to Bertholdt. "Did you look up the forecast or are you just annoying lucky?"

With a warm smile Bertholdt knelt down and kissed her cheek. "Both." He whispered handing Annie a coat.

"I don't know why I'm out here, I'm just going to go inside when it starts." Annie moaned.

"That's why I'm he-" The rest of Bertholdt's sentence was cut off by a sudden roar of thunder. With a small shriek Annie clasped at Bertholdt's arm.

Taking a moment to calm down Annie took a deep breath. "I'm going inside." As she stood to leave Annie felt something warm envelope her hand. Looking down Annie saw Bertholdt's hand around her own.

"I'm out here with you," Bertholdt said with a gentle squeeze. "Just try it for a little longer."

Returning the squeeze with a stronger one, Annie took a seat next to Bertholt, never once letting go of his hand.

From that point on the wind began to howl, the rain began to fall and the lightning crackled across the sky but Annie remained at Bertholdt's side, their fingers intertwined with each other to defend against the worst the weather could throw at them. With each strike of lightning or boom of thunder Annie found herself squeezing Bertholdt's hand even harder, but she remained at his side.

"See. It's not too bad." Bertholdt cooed as he stroked Annie's palm with his thumb.

Annie went to reply but she cut off by a particularly loud bang of thunder. "Y… yeah," She mumbled with tense shoulders. "Don't let go, okay…"

"I'm here as long as you need me." Bertholdt whispered as he closed his other hand over Annie's as she slowly opened her eyes to look into Bertholdt's eyes that shone in the flashes of lighting


	5. Day 5 On a Date

Day 5 - On a Date

"Are you going to be on time?" Annie asked into her phone as she splashed a handful of warm water on her face.

With a muffled chuckle Bertholdt replied. "Yeah, I'll be there don't you worry."

Annie hummed and wiped her face down with a towel. "Good, because I've got something I need to talk to you about."

Bertholdt paused with his shirt halfway over his head. "Um… Ann should I be worried?"

"What? No, it's fine. Just don't be late okay?"

After a long sigh Bertholdt finished putting his shirt on and picked up his phone. "Understood, I'll see you later Ann," Annie hung up seconds later leaving Bertholdt with a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. "She sounded serious," He mumbled, with a firm shake of his head he ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm over thinking things again. Annie said I had nothing to worry about so I have nothing to worry about." Bertholdt assured himself as he left his cramped apartment.

Bertholdt left earlier than planned to make sure he wasn't late, despite what Annie had told him Bertholdt couldn't shift the stone of worry that sat in his stomach. As he sat outside the cafe he found himself twiddling with his thumbs at thought of what Annie wanted to talk about.

"She said it was important… but nothing to worry about," Bertholdt sighed to himself. "What does that mean?" He was so lost in thought he didn't notice his date walking towards him until she took her seat. "Annie!"

"Yes who else were you expecting?" Annie giggled. "Were you waiting long?"

Bertholdt smiled and shook his head. "Not very long, I was just lost in thought."

"What were you thinking about?"

 _I can't exactly tell her I was worried about what she was talking about earlier._ Bertholdt thought to himself. "Oh… Just wondering what I should order." He chuckled reaching for the menu."

With narrowed eyes Annie hummed. "Well don't take too long, I've got plans for us."

"Plans?"

"I'm not telling you… It's a surprise." It didn't help Bertholdt's thinking that Annie didn't show even a hint of emotion in her expression.

After ordering a drink Bertholdt gave Annie a small smile. "Is it a good surprise?"

"You'll have to decide that."

 _She can be so cryptic._ Bertholdt sighed to himself as he thanked the waitress for his coffee.

After finishing his drink Bertholdt paid and left with Annie at his side. "So where are we going?"

If you stop asking questions you might find out." Annie huffed as she lead him through the city.

 _This is such a weird date._ Bertholdt was about to demand to know where they were going when Annie's phone began to ring. Not waiting even a second Annie pulled her phone out of her pocket and answered. "Is it ready? Yes. We're on our way. Thank you."

"Um Annie… what sort of date is this?"

Annie stopped and rubbed her temples. "We've been dating for almost a year right?" Bertholdt nodded. "So just trust me on this."

"Okay."

With that Bertholdt stuffed his hands in his pockets as Annie walked a couple of paces in front of him. As they walked he began to notice more and more highrise buildings. _I haven't been around this part of town in a while. Too expensive for me._

Without any warning Annie came to stop. "So this is the surprise." She said pointing to a particularly new and tall apartment building.

"I'm helping you look for a new apartment?" Bertholdt gawked.

Once again Annie found herself sighing. "Kind of." She mumbled.

When they got inside the two of them were greeted by a tall man in a sharp suit. "Ah you're just on time," He said with a large grin that showed off his perfectly white teeth. "If you'd follow me I'll show you upstairs."

They took the lift up to the top floor, Bertholdt could only stare in horror at the sheer number of digits on the price display. _I didn't know Annie's job paid enough for a place like this._

Opening the door of one of the apartments the two of them were lead inside as the agent described the features. "So here we have one of best places, queen sized bed, ensuite, top of the range kitchen, balcony access and just like you asked for..." The man chuckled as he opened one of the many doors. "Extra large shower and bathroom. What do you think?"

Annie hummed and looked around. "Could you give me a minute to think about it?"

"O-of course, I'll be outside." He said with another toothy smile as he left.

"So," Annie asked turning to Bertholdt. "What do you think?"

"I think it's really expensive. Did you win the lottery or something?" He scoffed looking out the window.

With a giggle Annie came up to side and linked her arm through his. "No. I can't believe you haven't figured it out yet."

"Figured out what yet?"

"I can't pay for this place by myself and even if I could why would I need a queen sized bed and extra large shower?"

Slowly cogs started to fall into place in Bertholdt's mind. "You… you want to move in together?"

"That's why we're here," Annie said as she stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "I'll take your blush as a yes."

"So this date…"

Annie nodded. "We're going to check out apartments together."

A wide smile spread across Bertholdt lips as the two of them looked through the apartment. "Not a bad date." He whispered into Annie's ear as they checked out the bedroom.


	6. Day 6 Kissing

Day 6 - Kissing

"So we'll join the Survey Corps," Reiner said in a hushed voice with a hand on Bertholdt's shoulder. "You join the Military police and we'll find an opening to get Eren out of here."

Annie nodded. "Okay, I get it." She said, her eyes occasionally flickering from the ground to Bertholdt.

"Once you get Eren out of here we'll push through Wall Rose and Sina and flush the Founding Titan out of hiding," Reiner explained taking not of Annie's wandering eyes and Bertholdt's clenched fists. Sighing Reiner stood and went to leave. "Make it quick, the choosing ceremony is going to start soon." With that Reiner left the two of them alone.

Bertholdt and Annie sat in a painful silence, both of them knowing the inevitability of their situation. In all honesty, they wanted to run away, all of them. Go home to their families open arms… maybe even start a family of their own. But that wasn't their life, it could never be their life. Instead, all they had for the past three years were brief moments of aloneness where they could finally embrace each other. Where they could warm each other and give one another a temporary relief from their mission.

As Bertholdt's arms wrapped around her small frame and pulled her towards him he could already feel his chest tightening. In times like these Bertholdt's chest would tighten for entirely different reasons but now it was because he realised this would likely be the last time they could be in each other's arms.

It was Annie who closed the distance between their lips. In Bertholdt's arms, she felt light, as if a great weight had been taken from her shoulders. She liked to think that Bertholdt could carry that weight with her, she'd often joke to herself that his shoulders were broad enough to take it. As lips rolled against each other and hands raked through hair Annie wished she only had more time, she could have spent eternity in his arms with his lips on hers.

For Bertholdt, having Annie in his arms, having his lips on hers reminded him he was more than the Colossal Titan. For the past three years Bertholdt had all the combined hatred of humanity indirectly focused on him and at times he questioned whether he was Bertholdt Hoover or the Colossal Titan. But whenever Annie pressed her lips to his, behind the mess hall, in the forest during training or any of the other places they had hidden to express themselves to each other, Bertholdt was shown who and what he was. He was a human, he was a Titan, he was a soldier, a warrior and a lover.

When he felt Annie's teeth tugging gently on his bottom lip Bertholt slowly pushed Annie away. "Annie.." He whispered. "We can't."

"No, not yet.." The weight in her voice pulled on his heart as hard as any mission. This time it was Bertholdt who pressed his lips to Annie's and he could feel his eyes welling up with tears. His arms coiled around her body pulling her onto his lap, it only he could stay like this forever he thought. But they couldn't.

After several minutes they could hear people lining up as the ceremony began. Reluctantly they parted from each other, resting their foreheads against one another. "We have to go," Annie whispered. "We have to become warriors." She said as she stood.

Bertholdt was quick to follow as Annie walked away with tightly balled fists. "We'll go home together Annie. We will." Annie didn't look back as she left, she didn't need to to see the tears in Bertholdt's eyes.


	7. Day 7 Childhood

Day 7 - Childhood

Bertholdt knelt down and cupped his chin as he looked across the flower bed. His eyes scanned across each and every petal, it needed to be perfect, it just had to be. "Hhmm... What about this one?" He pondered running his fingers across a series of purple petals. "No, it's too droopy."

"Hey Berty what are you up to?"

Turning around Bertholdt saw Reiner walking towards him with his hands stretched over his head. "Oh… nothing." He mumbled.

"Eh… you're always hanging out around the flower bed," Reiner hummed. "Don't let the instructors find you here. They'll think you've gone soft."

"I'm not going soft!" Bertholdt protested. "I...I'm just looking for something."

Reiner's eye widened and a large smile plastered across his lips. "Are you looking for something for a special someone?"

"That's not funny Reiner," Bertholdt pouted. "I… just like the flowers."

"Oh. You sure it's not because you saw Annie looking at them the other day?" Reiner cooed clasping his hand together.

Bertholdt got up from his knees and sighed. "Fine. I thought since Annie is always on her own I could do something to become friends with her."

"What a gentleman," Reiner scoffed. "But you're right, she always seems to be by herself. So what was your plan?"

Bertholdt twiddled his thumbs. "You have to promise not to tell anyone, especially Marcel or Gilliard," With a hand over his heart Reiner promised. "Okay," Bertholdt said with a hushed tone. "I was going to make her a bouquet of flowers and give them to her after combat training."

"You think Annie will like that?"

Bertholdt firmly nodded. "I see her looking at the flowers all the time, so maybe she'd like some."

"If you say so," Reiner shrugged. "So what flowers are you going to use?"

Sighing Bertholdt rubbed the back of his head. "That's the problem. I have no idea."

"Why not get her flowers that match her?"

"What do you mean?" Bertholdt asked turning his attention back to the flower.

Reiner stepped forward and pointed to a collection of bright, shining yellow flowers. "Well, they look like Annie's hair," He shifted his point to a loose bundle of light blue buds. "And those are blue like her eyes."

For a moment Bertholdt was stunned silent. "You're a genius!" He eventually exclaimed. "How come I didn't think of that?" He added while gently picking the flowers Reiner had pointed out.

Reiner gently rubbed his cheek, trying to hide the blush of embarrassment rising on his cheeks. "I-It's okay, just don't make a fool out of yourself." Before he could finish Bertholdt had gathered all the flowers and was running towards the training ground.

After spending nearly ten minutes arranging the flowers Bertholdt was content with his work. Carefully holding the collection of flowers he made his way to where he knew Annie would be training, turning the corner Bertholdt saw Annie stretching her arms over his head.

Walking up behind her Bertholdt tapped on her shoulder with a wide smile on his lips.

Before Bertholdt could react Annie turned on her heels and grabbed the hand that touched her, in one fluid movement she brought her other hand up to Bertholdt's neck and kicked his feet out from under him.

Bertholdt grunted in pain as he was left in a cloud of dust on the ground with Annie standing over him. "Ow…" He moaned as he slowly picked himself up. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have disturbed you." He mumbled before turning and leaving Annie who wore an expression of confusion as she looked down at the crumpled bouquet in the dirt.

That night as he coddled his wounds Bertholdt found himself thinking to what had happened earlier with Annie. "The flowers were a stupid idea…" He sighed to himself. "Now she hates me."

Little did he know that after limping away from her, Annie had picked up the bundle of flowers and brushed the dirt and dust from them. Since she had training that afternoon Annie made sure to hide the flowers somewhere the instructors wouldn't find them. Once her training for the day was over and she had been dismissed Annie made her way to her hiding spot, making sure she wasn't followed. After she was sure no had followed her Annie found the flowers and didn't suppress the small smile that spread across her lips.

Once she got back to the dorms Annie made sure to fill a jar with water and put it and the flowers in the small shelf below her window and every day since then, after training Annie would take a couple of minutes to tend to the flowers Bertholdt had 'given' her.


	8. Day 8 Something Sad

Day 8 - Something sad

It was ironic, as the great Female Titan fell its pilot had never felt weaker. All the muscle, crystal and strength it gave her eventually meant nothing as Mikasa sent her tumbling to the ground and Eren's waiting rage.

She was told that encasing her body in crystal would freeze her body, but not her mind.

 _It's okay._ She thought to herself as the soldiers dragged her prison deep underground. _They'll come for me. Bertholdt will come for me._

It was difficult to keep track of time underground, the only light on her crystal came from the torches that illuminated her tomb.

 _They can do it. The two of them together are unstoppable._ Annie told herself as the days turned into weeks. _This is my own fault though. I shouldn't have taught Eren how to fight like that. He was just a freakishly quick learner._

As the weeks slowly turned to months Annie found herself going over the events of her mission, critiquing every decision she made. _If only I had… killed Armin then I wouldn't be here, that kid is too clever for his own good._

Eventually, Annie ran out of things to critique, ran out of regrets and all she was left with were memories and hopes. _When we get home I'll have to tell Dad about me and Bertholdt. I wonder how he'll take it. I thought Reiner was going to pass out when he found out._

It had been so long since Annie locked herself away, months, years there was no telling them apart. All Annie knew was that with each year Bertholdt's time grew shorter. _If I ever get out… How much longer will he have? Will we have?_

Voices from the soldiers that guarded her shell told her that there were plans to retake Wall Maria. _Be safe you two,_ She wished. _Be safe and come find me, there's a lot I need to tell_ _you._

When the cheers rang through her chamber, telling her that the enemy of humanity had been finally slain Annie didn't want to believe it. There was no way Bertholdt could have fallen, he still hadn't fulfilled his promise from the choosing ceremony. _Someone tell me it isn't true. Someone… Bertholdt._ From inside her crystal, Annie thought to the last time she saw him, the last time she felt the warmth of his arms and lips.

As they dragged Bertholdt's body from his Titan guilt coursed through his veins. He wanted to resist, he wanted to break free from Eren's hateful grasp, he wanted to find a way to Annie. Wherever they had her he would find her and save her, take her home keeps her safe.

But he couldn't his arms and legs had been torn from his body. The Titan power that resided in his heart was too exhausted to save him now, all he could do now was wait as he fate was decided around him.

"Annie…" He whispered as the voices around him argued who would be the one to kill him. "When we get home I'm worried I'll make a fool out of myself in front of your father."

"NO!" One of the voices yelled. "The who will be saved is Erwin!"

Thoughts of Annie quickly drowned out the anger that burned in the voices. "I wonder what he'll think of me… even if we don't have much time I'd like to make it official." Bertholdt's voice was weak, so quiet no one could hear him his words were simply lost.

"Of course…" He whispered. "I'll have to find you. I'll find you, Annie, I promised I would didn't I?"

 _You will come for me right…_ Annie thought to herself time and time again.

"I will come for you." Bertholdt whispered as he was picked up like a rag doll in the grotesque hands of the Titan that would take his life only moments later.


	9. Day 9 In Battle Side By Side

Day 9 - In battle side by side

Bertholdt wiped the sweat from his brow and fell to his knees. "We've been fighting for nearly an hour," He huffed. "Where's the order to fall back?"

"They can't afford to lose this family," Annie explained as she tossed aside another pair of blades. "They're throwing everything they have to stop the Titans."

"I'm not throwing myself at anything else," Bertholdt huffed as lay down on his back. "I'm almost out of gas." He added tapping his hollow tanks.

Annie sat down beside him, watching over the city for any approaching Titans. "How are you almost empty?"

With a scoff like laugh Bertholdt sat up. "I need more gas to get around, we can't all be as quick and sharp as you."

"I hope you've got enough gas to get away," Annie said as she stood up and pointed to two large Titans that had spotted them. "We need to find a way back to the others."

Bertholdt stood and wiped his eyes with the heel of his hands. "I'm heavier than you so I can strike deeper and harder, you set them up and… I'll finish them off." He explained with a steely resolve.

With narrowed eyebrows Annie looked up to Bertholdt and crossed her arms. "When did you become the leading type?"

A light blush stained his cheeks. "Oh… I was just thinking because I have deepest strike depth out of the two of us…" Annie cut him off with a stifled giggle.

"It's okay, you're right," She said unsheathing her blades. "I'll open them up and you go for the kill."

With that there were no more words between the two of them as they flew through the city. The first Titan they came across was over ten meters tall with a long thin arms and grey hair to match. Annie saw it far before it saw her and with only a brief glance Bertholdt peeled off and hid behind a chimney stack.

Clanging her blades together Annie quickly got the attention of the hulking beast and lead it through the streets to where Bertholdt was waiting.

Weaving between the houses with a ravenous Titan behind her was a struggle even for Annie, the monster's long arms meant it didn't have to reach far before it could crush her in its grip. Knowing it would only be a matter of time before it figured out how to run Annie gave a particularly strong burst of gas sending her flying.

With her increased velocity Annie flew high above the Titan, high above the city. Taking a moment to enjoy to wind in her hair Annie quickly regained her focus and slowed herself down, allowing the Titan to pass under her.

 _I'm high enough now. I don't need to use anymore gas and let it hear me._ She thought to herself as she pirouetted in the air before firing her hooks into the buildings either side of the Titan.

Using her momentum as a slingshot Annie swung underneath the Titan and with a flick of her wrist, Annie rendered away the Titan's Achilles tendons.

The Titan's roar of pain as his signal Bertholdt emerged from his hiding spot and leaped down from the roof, his eyes quickly focusing on the crippled beast and it's exposed neck.

Putting all of his strength and weight into his strike Bertholdt's blades cut through the Titan's skin and muscle with absolute ease. The moment his swords emerged from the Titan's flesh Bertholdt leapt away and watched for any signs of movement.

Bertholdt turned around and saw Annie walking through the already rising cloud of steam with a small smile on her lips. "Good kill."

"Thanks," Bertholdt huffed. "We should try to find Reiner and the others so we can resupply."

Annie hummed. "Agreed, we need to find a vantage point so we can figure out where we are." She said before vanishing in a cloud of gas. Bertholdt was quick to follow her and soon the two of them were looking out over the ruined city of Trost.

Bertholdt's grey eyes scanned over the city and the countless pillars of smoke that rose from the fires that raged across Trost. His chest quickly tightened to a nearly unbearable level as he witnessed the destruction he had caused, seeing the Titans stroll through the hole he made was bad enough but to see the destruction they had caused was something else, the pain in his chest grew and grew until Bertholdt fell to one knee, breathing heavily.

Seeing him in pain and distress Annie sheathed her weapons and came to his side. "Come on," She said pressing a hand to his shoulder. "We've got to move, we can't stay here."

"A...are these people really the evil we were told about?" Bertholdt whispered.

A cold finger worked its way through Annie's heart and for a moment she was frozen in place. That was until the ground beneath her feet began to quake as a Titan approached the two of them. Knowing that if they stayed where they were the Titan would quickly find them Annie rounded on Bertholdt and cupped his face in her hands.

"Listen to me, if we stay where are we will die. You and Reiner promised you'd go home together, right?" Bertholdt slowly nodded. "Well, we'll make a promise right now. When we get home we'll find your answers but we have to go now."

Annie's voice reached Bertholdt, through the memories and horrors that plagued him. He looked up at her and stood to his full height, he quickly saw the approaching Titan.

The two of them together quickly dispatched the Titan and carved their way through Trost until they eventually found the remainder of the 104th.

And as the two of them refilled their canisters, hours later, Bertholdt looked over to Annie and silently thanked her for giving him a reason to live and fight.


	10. Day 10 NSFW (Literally)

Day 10 - NSFW (Literally)

"You're joking right?" Ymir gawked. "You've never sent Bertholdt a picture of yourself?"

Annie put down her coffee and sighed. "No, why would I?"

"Because… it's funny to watch them get riled up."

With crossed arms Annie narrowed her eyes. "Does it work on Krista then?"

It was rare to see Ymir blush, it only usually happened when she was drunk, but on rare occasions a deep redness could be seen on her cheeks, and this was one of those times. "Y… yeah it does actually. I sometimes send her a picture at work to brighten her day. Maybe Bertholdt would appreciate it."

"I doubt it," Annie shrugged. "Bertholdt always gets so flustered whenever we… why am I even talking to you about this?" She said shaking head.

Ymir smirked. "Because you're curious," She said pointing at Annie's pinkening cheeks. "You want to try it out don't you? Well, Bertholdt is at work right?"

"Right, right I've got to go," Annie said, quickly standing and paying for her drink. "I'll see you later."

As she walked home Annie thought about what Ymir had told her. "We've been together for over six months now… maybe we should try something new," She hummed to herself. "He always gets so… nervous though," To her surprise she found herself smiling at the thought of giving Bertholdt a shock at work and with that she walked home slightly faster.

When she got home Annie excitedly dug through her clothes until she found what she looking for. "Maybe I should have picked something up on the way home?" She hummed looking at her black sports bra and equally tight and black training shorts.

After getting changed Annie stood in front of her body mirror and hummed. "What would he like the most?" She asked herself adjusting her bra, Annie looked over to their shared bed and smiled.

Lying down on her front Annie angled her phone above her so it looked down over her back. Deciding that she should get her chest in the picture she rested on her elbow with one arm and took the picture with the other. Although it took several attempts Annie was eventually satisfied with the picture and sent it to Bertholdt with a devilish smirk on her lips.

Bertholdt rubbed his temples and groaned, he had been forced to work straight through his lunch in order to keep up. "I hope Annie's having a better day than me." He sighed as his phone blared to life.

Seeing that he had gotten a text from Annie he smiled warmly, however when he opened the message his expression quickly changed. Blood rushed to his cheeks as he looked at his girlfriend lying on their bed wearing her sports bra and shorts. That normally would have enough to send him crazy but the angle that the picture was taken gave him a view of her incredible chest that she pushed out towards the camera immediately made his seat very uncomfortable.

"I… I'll be right back." He said to his coworkers before quickly making his way to the bathroom.

Once he locked himself in the stall Bertholdt looked down at his phone so he could properly 'examine' the picture Annie had sent him. She was lying on her front and had propped herself up on her elbow so he could get a view of her exposed cleavage and tight ass, the way her fingers rested across her lips sent Bertholdt into a tizzy and he subconsciously reached into his pants. It was the message however that really caught Bertholdt's attention.

Under the picture, which Bertholdt had to drag his eyes from, read a short message.

"Hurry up and come home."

A heavy lump appeared in Bertholdt's throat as he read the message time after time again. Eventually an idea popped into his head. _Maybe she wants me to send one back._ He thought with a smirk.

Thankful for the large spaces in his offices bathroom Bertholdt took off his jacket and pulled down the hem of his trousers to expose his hip the the dip of his crotch. Holding his phone over his head Bertholdt made sure to lift his shirt slightly, with the picture taken he excitedly typed a message of his own.

Since she sent the picture Annie had waited with great anxiety for Bertholdt's reply. When the reply finally came she quickly picked up phone and a deep blush quickly appeared on her cheeks as she read the message.

"Someone is impatient today."


	11. Day 11 Hanging out with Friends

Day 11 - Hanging out with friends

"So why did you drag me out here?" Annie asked.

Hitch rolled her eyes. "Because you have to exist outside once in awhile."

"And you chose me over your other friends because?"

Hitch came to a stop and sighed. Turning around she pouted at Annie. "Because. It's been ages since we talked about stuff, I wanna hear about what you've been up to."

Seeing her pleading expression Annie found herself fighting a smirk. "Well, what do you want to know about?" She asked much to Hitch's happiness.

Bertholdt narrowed his eyes and leant back in his chair. "It's not like you to pay for lunch. What are you planning?"

After handing the cash to the waiter Reiner turned to his friend and scoffed. "Can I not buy my best friend a mean?"

Bertholdt crossed his arms. "No because usually, that means you want something from me and that something is…"

"I just want to know how things are with you?" Reiner asked.

"And Annie." Bertholdt added.

"I-I'm just curious." Reiner stuttered.

"So why haven't I met him yet?" Hitch asked as she held a top up to her chest. "Also what do you think?"

Annie looked up from the clothing rack. "Because you'd probably scare him and when did you start valuing my opinion on clothes?"

With a bark like laugh Hitch put the top back on the rack. "You said he's over six foot, how could he be scared of little old me?" She said batting her eyes. "Also for your information I've always valued your opinion… What do you think of this one?" She asked holding up an identical top.

This time, no matter how hard she fought Annie couldn't stop the smile spreading across her lips.

"So how are things with Annie?" Reiner asked as the two of them walked through the streets.

Bertholdt stuffed his hands in his pockets and hummed. "Well we're happy if that's what you mean."

"But?" Reiner said with a raised eyebrow.

"But we're taking it slow, I don't want to push her."

Reiner took out his phone and started texting. "Well I mean that's a good idea, she doesn't seem like the type to be rushed. So when are you next seeing her? The fourth date is an important one."

"Well," Bertholdt said looking up at the sky. "I was thinking the beach, we could rent a couple of surfboards for the day."

With a wide grin, Reiner jabbed his friend's shoulder "And, you can show off your body and she can show off hers."

"Shut it." Bertholdt mumbled.

Hitch reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, after a moment a thin smile appeared on her lips. "Hey Ann, I was going to get a new swimsuit but I want to know what you think."

"You're dragging all around this damn store. Why do you want to get a swimsuit?"

"Oh," Hitch shrugged. "I'm thinking of going to the beach and I want to show off," She suddenly stopped in her tracks. "You should come too! You could bring Bertholdt, it'd be really fun."

"What?"

Hitch rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you're not curious as to what Bertholdt is hiding under his shirt. If he's really tall and broad like you say he's probably ripped."

A light pink blush dusted Annie's cheeks. "I guess I could get a new swim suit." And as they walked to the swimwear Hitch took out her phone and started texting.

Reiner put his phone back in his pocket and let out a deep chuckle. "So what sort of swimsuit do you think Annie will wear? If she says yes."

"Huh?" Bertholdt gawked. "How would I know?"

"Okay, better question. What sort of swimsuit do you imagine her in?"

A deep red glowed under his cheeks. "I don't…. Think of her like that."

"Oh come on," Reiner cooed. "I think she'd look best in a black two piece. What do you think?"

Bertholdt went as stiff as a board as the images came to mind. "I… I guess she'd look nice in that."

Reiner's response came when he pulled out his phone with one hand and slapped Bertholdt's back with the other.

"Hhmm. Black two piece. I can find that." Hitch muttered under her breath.

"So what sort of suit do you want?" Annie asked.

Hitch looked up from her phone. "I can make… this work," She said holding up a light blue one piece. "But if you want to show off I'd say… this." She hummed picking out a tight fitting black two piece swimsuit.

"That?" Annie said with crossed arms. "Would that really look good on me?"

Hitch let her arms dropped her sides and sighed heavily. "Annie look at you! You look in amazing everything. This will send Bertholdt into a tizzy, trust me."

"Well…" Annie mumbled. "If you say so." She said walking to the cashier with the suit in hand and as the two of them left the store Hitch sent a final text.

"Well I hope your date with Annie goes well," Reiner said looking up from his phone. "You'll have to tell me all about it."

"Yeah," Bertholdt said with narrowed eyes. "Thanks for lunch by the way."

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Reiner asked.

"You've been asking all these questions about Annie. Why?"

Reiner smirked. "I just want your date to go well."


	12. Day 12 First Kiss

Day 12 - First kiss

Perhaps it was the sheer volume of the music, or the glaring strobe lights, it was likely the alcohol that was pumping through her veins but at this point, it didn't matter, all that mattered to Annie was finding Bertholdt among the masses of people at the party.

Pushing her way through the crowds Annie felt a strange heat bubble up through her body, at first like nothing more than a gentle warmth in her cheeks but with each drink, it spread down her neck and into her chest where she could feel an uneasy tightness. As the heat made its way down into the pit of her stomach only one thought remained in her mind.

Bertholdt.

"Hey, Reiner!" Bertholdt shouted. "Don't you think it's too loud?"

Reiner spun on his heels, taking a few seconds to gain his balance he looked at Bertholdt. "Don't you think you should be drinking?" He slurred.

"And don't you remember who's driving you home?" Bertholdt scoffed.

For a moment Reiner looked perplexed. "Oh yeah… I'm going to go find someone who will drink with me. YMIR!" He screamed as he stumbled his way towards the freckled girl leaving Bertholdt by himself.

Deciding that the music was too loud for him Bertholdt made his way outside and sat on the porch looking up at the night sky. "I hope everyone is having a good time," He sighed. "I've got to thank Ymir for inviting us at some point."

"You can thank me now if you want?" Bertholdt craned his head around to see Ymir leaning against the front door. "What are you doing out here?"

Bertholdt ran his fingers through his hair and smiled. "I just needed some air, and for Reiner to stop trying to get me drunk." He chuckled.

Sighing Ymir sat down next to him. "You know you guys can crash here. Loosen up and have a drink."

"I...If I get drunk I'll just make a fool of myself in front of Annie." Bertholdt said with a defeated tone.

"Ah… So that's why you've been avoiding her. She's been looking for you all night." Ymir explained.

As if on cue a loud thud came from behind the two of them. Bertholdt and Ymir turned around to see Annie stumbling through the front door. "Oi," She hissed. "Don't you have a party to host?"

Taking the hint Ymir stood and left the two of them alone, giving Bertholdt a wink and thumbs up before she left. "Um Annie," Bertholdt said. "Are you okay?" Annie gave no reply as she slowly made her way towards him. "Annie?"

Without any warning Annie lunged forward and threw her arms around Bertholdt's shoulders, only a second later did she seal his lips with her own.

 _Alcohol._ Was the first thought Bertholdt had as Annie pulled him towards her, however, the suddenness of Annie's kiss quickly cleared any rational thoughts from his mind. The heat and passion with which Annie pushed herself onto him with were quickly reciprocated as Bertholdt let his hands work their way up Annie's back.

Feeling that her advances were being responded to Annie pushed Bertholdt down by his shoulders onto the wooden floor. Separating only to breath Annie raked her fingers through Bertholdt's oak hair.

"I was looking for you for ages." Annie moaned.

With his hand on the small of her back Bertholdt sat up so Annie was sitting in his lap. "Well now you have me," He sighed into Annie's lips. However as time went on Bertholdt regained his senses and pushed Annie away. "Are… are you just doing this because of the alcohol?"

Annie shook her head and gently stroked his hair. "Ymir was right," She said hiding the slur in her voice. "I was looking for you. I've… I've been wanting to talk to you for ages. The alcohol just… gave me the courage."

Not wanting to waste anymore time Bertholdt closed the distance between their lips. The lines between their bodies blurred as their tongues met in a heated exchange. Both let their hands roam across the other's body as they moaned into each other's mouths and against each other's necks.

Once again Annie found herself pushing Bertholdt down against the wooden floor, except this time she was impatient, hungry for more and she pushed down slightly too hard.

Rubbing the bruise on the back of his head Bertholdt stood up and offered Annie his hand. "Maybe we should go inside?"

Annie's answer came in the form of her pushing him against the wall and giving him a fast, passionate kiss. "Come get me then." She mewled in his ear before disappearing inside leaving a flustered Bertholdt out on the porch.


	13. Day 13 Doing something Sweet

Day 13 - Doing something sweet

"I'm hungry."

Bertholdt looked up from his book and furrowed his brow. "Hungry how?"

Annie rolled her eyes and rubbed her stomach. "Hungry like my period is killing me and I want something to eat."

"Oh," Bertholdt said as he quickly closed his book and stood up. "I'll hurry and get you something."

Annie simply groaned in response as Bertholdt grabbed his keys, wallet, and coat. The minute he opened the front door Bertholdt mentally patted himself on the back as he looked out through the thick veil of rain in front of him. "Right... " He sighed. "I sure hope the bakery still has them."

Pulling his collar up as far as he could Bertholdt ran through the rain, doing his best to ignore the cold that seeped through his shoes and clothes. The bakery wasn't too far from his home but in the howling winds and punishing rain, it felt like it was the other end of the world yet he pushed on. Whenever Annie's periods Bertholdt would do whatever he could to make her comfortable, and this time it was her favorite from the bakery.

By the time he reached the bakery Bertholdt was soaked through, once inside he waited for a moment to let himself drip dry as to not slip on the floor. Hearing the door to her bakery open the woman behind the counter turned around and smiled.

"Good to see even in this weather my most loyal of customers still comes for their favorite treat," She giggled. Bertholdt pushed his hair out of his face and returned the smile before making his way up to the counter. "So what will it be today?"

Bertholdt hummed as he looked over the various pastries and breads that were on offer to him. "Do you have any of your Cinnamon doughnuts?"

With an even wider smile the woman turned and went into the back, she quickly returned with a tray of piping hot ring doughnuts that were powdered with cinnamon. The smell of the freshly cooked dough combined with the sweet, woody scent of the cinnamon made Bertholdt's mouth water. "You're lucky, these usually sell out immediately… Although that's mostly due to your partner."

"I'll take… four of those," Bertholdt said after stifling a laugh. "And one of your lovely chelsea buns, oh and a baguette."

"Someone sure loves their carbs today."

Bertholdt turned and looked outside at the rain. "Annie isn't feeling too great so I thought some soup would do her some good and of course we only have our soups with your breads."

A light blush spread across the woman's cheeks as she collected Bertholdt's bread. "Well, Petra's bakery is lucky to have customers like you two." She said passing the bag over to Bertholdt.

Once he paid Bertholdt stood in the doorway and sighed as he looked out into the rain. "Thank you again." He said before opening the door and running out into the rain. With his precious cargo hidden under his coat Bertholdt ran as fast as he could back home, he didn't want to risk ruining Annie's doughnuts or his own treat and so shielding them with his body Bertholdt made it home with his package intact.

The moment he closed the door he heard Annie's pain filled voice. "Bertl is that you?"

"Yeah," He called back. "Sorry I took so long."

"Did you get them?"

This time before answering Bertholdt hung his coat up and made his way upstairs, he found Annie where he had left her, lying on their sofa wrapped in blankets. Holding up the bag Bertholdt smirked as Annie's face lit up.

"Which ones did you get?" She asked as she sat up.

Bertholdt sat down next to her. "Cinnamon." Was his simple answer.

Looking past him Annie saw the bag. "What else did you get?"

"Oh, I was wondering if you wanted some soup so I got a baguette as well," Despite the pain, Annie felt her heart swell for Bertholdt. "Which would you like first?"

"Come here," Annie said as she pulled Bertholdt beside her. When she put a pillow on Bertholdt's lap he quickly figured out what she planning. With the pillow in place, Bertholdt wrapped his hands around her hips and effortlessly picked her up and placed her in his lap.

Annie reached over and pulled her blanket over her and Bertholdt before reaching into the bag and pulling out of the doughnuts. As she nibbled her way through the treat Bertholdt brought his head down and gently kissed her cheek.

Pressing her cheek against his lips Annie sighed gently at his touch. "Thank you." She whispered as Bertholdt reached into the bag and pulled out his Chelsea bun.


	14. Day 14 Making Love for the First Time

Day 14 - Making love for the first time

Annie looked up at the violently flapping fabric of her tent and shivered with the bitterly cold wind. Looking over to her side she saw Bertholdt tightly wrapped up in his own sleeping bag, even with the howling wind she could him trying to warm himself with his breath.

"Who's bright idea was it to go camping in the winter?"

Bertholdt peaked over from under his sleeping bag and chuckled. "I did warn Reiner to check the weather."

"Well it's too late now," Annie hissed as she wrapped herself in her sleeping bag as tightly as she could. "If I had known I would have brought more blankets."

Bertholdt looked over to Annie and the way she was shaking with every gust of wind. "Um Annie… I have plenty of room if you're too cold."

With narrowed eyes Annie propped herself up. "Was this just your plan to get us in the same bed?"

A furious blush instantly rose on Bertholdt's cheeks. "N-no! You just looked cold so-" Before he could finish Bertholdt was cut off by Annie pulling his sleeping open and curling herself against him.

"Well either way," She whispered against his chest. "It worked, now warm me up."

Following her instruction Bertholdt wrapped his arms around her small frame and pulled Annie tightly against him. Instantly Annie could feel the heat of Bertholdt's body seeping into her own. With his arms around her Annie looked up to him and pressed her palm against his chest. A strange heat balled up in her stomach as she slipped her hand under Bertholdt's shirt.

"Hey Bertholdt," She cooed against his neck. "I'm still cold."

Bertholdt's body stiffened at the touch of Annie's cold fingers. "Oh. How can I warm you up?" He mumbled.

Annie's response came when she pulled Bertholdt over her, their faces only inches apart. "We've been together a while," She whispered coiling her arms around his neck. "Take a guess." Was all she said before locking her lips against Bertholdt's.

Her fingers dragged through his hair, holding him close to her as to not waste any of his warmth or heat.

Separating only to breath Bertholdt pulled away for a moment and looked down at his partner. "Ann," He said between rushed kisses. "Do you really," Another kiss. "Want our first time," Yet another heated embrace. "To be in a tent?"

Rolling her eyes Annie gently raked her fingers down his back. "I don't care _where_ my first is. I care who it's with and right now I want it to be you."

This time it was Bertholdt who closed the distance between their lips. With his entire body looming over her the heat in Annie's stomach grew and spread throughout her whole being, she couldn't pinpoint it but whenever she looked to the broadness of his shoulders a familiar twinge would appear in her core.

When Bertholdt's hand reached under the hem of her shirt Annie felt her chest tighten, it usually took so much effort on her behalf to get Bertholdt to take the lead but this time he was letting his hands wander. _Maybe it's the cold._ She thought to herself before Bertholdt stole whatever was left of her breath by grinding himself against her.

Annie's hands reached down to Bertholdt's trousers to pull them off but due to the sleeping bag it was much harder than she had anticipated. _Maybe a tent wasn't the best choice._ However when Bertholdt easily removed the garment Annie could tell he wanted this as much as she did.

With Bertholdt's trousers now gone Annie could his hardness pressing against her. They had been together for over six months and they had never gotten this far, Annie had certainly tried but Bertholdt's reserved nature didn't help but now she had him and she wasn't going to let go.

It didn't take long for Annie to take off her thick leggings, now both exposed Annie prepared herself for Bertholdt's advances but they didn't come. "Bertl?" She asked looking up at him.

"Are you sure you want this? I didn't even bring any… condoms."

For a moment Annie was stunned, she watched as a blush grew on Bertholdt's cheek. "It's okay," She shrugged. "I brought some." Reaching out of the sleeping bag Annie pulled out a silver packet from her rucksack.

"Did you have this planned?" Bertholdt asked with a raised eyebrow.

Annie shrugged. "I've been wanting this for a while yeah," As she spoke Annie carefully tore open the packet and took out the condom. "But we were never pressed against each other in a tent before so I thought now was a good time."

Bertholdt opened his mouth to comment on her timing when he felt Annie's cold hands wrap around his member. Annie watched him bite his lips as she rolled the condom down him. "Are… are you sure you want this?"

With a sudden heated kiss Annie gave Bertholdt her answer as he slowly lowered himself into her.

It took her a few seconds to come to terms with the feeling of having Bertholdt inside of her. At first it felt like an uncomfortable swelling but Bertholdt was slow and gentle and it didn't take long for Annie to grow accustomed to the feeling and seconds later she came to enjoy it.

Frustrated with how slow and weak Bertholdt was being Annie found herself bringing her hips up to meet Bertholdt's thrusts. "I'm not made of glass you know." She said between kisses.

Almost immediately Bertholdt increased the pace and strength of his thrusts. With his newfound confidence Bertholdt found himself arching his back over her, moaning deeply into her mouth. Soon Annie found herself unable to put a sentence together as she felt a strange sensation growing in the pit of her stomach.

"Bertl… Oh god don't stop." She whimpered against his neck.

With a final powerful thrust Bertholdt let out a low guttural groan and collapsed beside Annie. Not wanting to let the cold bag in Annie crawled onto Bertholdt's torso, relishing in the warmth from his body.

"If I had known you were this good…" Annie chuckled quietly. "I would have suggested going camping ages ago."

Bertholdt's response came in the form of a tired kiss to her forehead and it wasn't long before the two of them fell asleep.


	15. Day 15 Marriage Proposal

Day 15 - Marriage proposal

"I-I can't do it," Bertholdt stuttered. "I'll ask her next week."

Reiner rolled his eyes. "You said that last week, and the week before," He sighed. "We've been planning this for months. You can do it!"

Looking down at the small box in his hand Bertholdt swallowed the lump in his throat. "What if she says no?"

"Ugh," Reiner groaned. "How long have you been together?"

"Six years." Bertholdt mumbled.

"And how many years have you lived together?"

Twiddling his thumbs Bertholdt answered. "Three."

Reiner clasped his hands together and sighed. "And does Annie have any reason to say no?" After a few seconds of pondering Bertholdt shook his head. "Exactly."

"But what if she does says no?"

Rubbing his temples Reiner hit his head against the table they were sitting at. "For the love of… Look Annie's going to get here soon so I'm leaving. Don't chicken out or do something stupid," He said looking at the time. "You better tell me when she says yes." With that Reiner stood and left, only turning to give his friend a quick thumbs up.

Now alone Bertholdt found himself twiddling with his thumbs as he stared at the small black box on the table in front of him. He was so focused his didn't hear the approaching footsteps until a hand rested on his shoulder. Grabbing the box and turning around in one fluid motion Bertholdt looked up to see Annie standing behind him.

"Hey Ann." Bertholdt gasped, standing up.

Before answering Annie sat down opposite from Bertholdt. "Hey."

Now that she was sitting down Bertholdt noticed the dark circles under Annie's eyes. "Um Ann. Are you okay?" He asked pointing to her eyes.

Annie brought her fingers to her eyes and sighed. "Sorry, I just had a long shift last night."

"It's okay, I'll get you a coffee or something to pick you up." Bertholdt suggested. Rubbing her eyes with her palms Annie groaned in thanks. As he ordered their drinks Bertholdt felt the box presing in his pocket. _Maybe now wouldn't be a good time._ He thought to himself.

With drinks in hands Bertholdt walked back to their table and found Annie leaning back in her chair, eyes closed. "I hope this makes you feel better." Bertholdt said quietly as he put the drinks on the table.

"Thanks," Anne sighed. "I'm sorry Bertl, I had something I needed to talk to you about something and I still took the late shift. "

"It's okay," Bertholdt chuckled. "I'm sure it can wait."

Annie shook her head. "No, it's important. I've been wanting to talk to you about this for ages."

"O-okay." Bertholdt stuttered.

After taking a deep breath Annie took her drink in her hands and look at Bertholdt. "We've been living together for years now but something isn't right."

Bertholdt felt his blood run cold. _Something is wrong? What does she mean?_ "Annie I'm really sorry if I've been distant lately, I've just been-"

Annie never gave him a chance to finish. "It's not your fault. We've both been really busy so we've had hardly anytime to talk," The cold in Bertholdt's blood spread throughout his entire body as Annie leaned back in her chair. "I've been trying to think of something to stop this from getting worse but…"

"But what?" Bertholdt said after several unsuccessful attempts.

"I think something needs to change about our relationship," By this point Bertholdt had forgotten all about the box in his pocket and was instead focused entirely on the weight of Annie's words. "I just wasn't sure what until now."

Bertholdt could feel heavy tears welling up in his eyes. "Annie… I-I get what you mean." He mumbled as he slowly stood up.

With a smile Annie sighed in relief. "You do? I'm glad- Wait. Why are you going?"

"I'm sorry it came to this," Bertholdt said, choking back the tears. "I thought we were happy but I guess I was wrong."

"What are you talking about? You just said you understood."

With balled fists Bertholdt looked down from his full height. "I get it okay. You want me gone, so I'll leave."

Annie narrowed her eyes. "I'll ask again. What are you talking about? I'm asking if you want to get married and you're talking about leaving."

Bertholdt froze in his tracks, both body and mind. Slowly he loosened his fists and leaned on his seat. "W-what?"

"Did you think I was breaking up with you?" Annie asked holding back the urge to laugh. "You really are an idiot," She sighed. "I was trying to ask you to marry me."

Suddenly remembering the box in his pocket Bertholdt pulled it out. "But… But I was supposed to get down on one knee and everything," Annie got up and took the small black box from Bertholdt and examined it in her hand. "Wait! Don't open it!"

Ignoring his pleas Annie popped open the box and saw what Bertholdt as hiding. Inside was a small ring, the crest of which was bent and weaved into an intricate pattern. "What is it?"

Blushing Bertholdt reached over and pointed the metal work. "It's two overlapping wings, each wing is made up of feathers and each wing is a different gem," He quietly explained. "This blue one is made of Sapphire and the clear one is made of Quartz."

Annie took the ring from the box. "It's… kind of pretty." She giggled as she slowly slid it onto her finger.

"B-but I didn't get down on one knee or ask?"

Rolling her eyes Annie reached up and cupped his cheek before guiding him down to her lips. "Well I technically asked first." She whispered.

"Well then my answer is yes." Bertholdt smirked as he pressed his lips against hers.


	16. Day 16 Wedding Day

Day 16 - Wedding day/Getting married

"I'm almost glad its over," Bertholdt yawned as he unbuttoned his shirt. "I didn't think getting married would be so exhausting."

Annie pulled her head out of the pillows on their bed and groaned as she sat up. "You didn't have to walk down the aisle with Zeke and his giant cheesy smile. I thought I was going to pass out from embarrassment."

Coming behind his wife Bertholdt gently rubbed her shoulders. "Be nice, it was kind of him to offer to give you away."

Annie pressed herself back, against his touch. "Still," She chuckled. "When you saw me I thought you were going to be the one to pass out."

From his height and angle Bertholdt was glad Annie couldn't see the blush that rose on his cheeks. "Well… you just looked…" Annie tilted her head up to him. "You looked more beautiful then I ever dreamed."

With a light jab from her elbow Annie pushed Bertholdt away. "I'm going to get a shower," She coughed. As she approached the door she turned to see Bertholdt standing with his hands on his hips looking at her. "Am I really that pretty to you?"

Once Annie closed the door behind her Bertholdt took of his shirt and rolled his shoulders, relishing as the tension in his neck eased he fell back onto the bed and sighed. "Married," He chuckled holding his hand in the air looking at the ring on his finger. "It's not a dream."

On the other side of the door Annie leant against the wall and looked at her own ring. "Am I supposed to take it off before I shower or not?" She hummed. "Better safe than sorry." She said taking off her ring and putting on top of a nearby counter. As she showered Annie found her eyes wandering to the ring. "It isn't a dream." She giggled to herself.

While Annie was showering Bertholdt hummed happily to himself as he changed into something more comfortable, knowing it wouldn't be long before his wife was finished in the shower Bertholdt got up and made his way to the small kitchen in their hotel room. By the time Annie came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel with her hair strewn across her face her husband was waiting for her with two steaming mugs in his hands.

Holding one of the mugs out Bertholdt smiled. "I thought you could do with a pick-me-up."

Annie returned the smile and took the drink from him, taking a moment to relish in the warmth she sat down on the bed and gestured for Bertholdt to do the same.

The moment he sat down next to her Annie rested her head on his shoulder and let out a long sigh. "You know I'm surprised Reiner didn't shed a tear."

"I think he did, just a little one though," He chuckled. "Although I definitely saw Pieck cry."

Annie took a small sip of her drink. "Well those tears disappeared the moment she caught the bouquet."

Bertholdt almost spilled his drink laughing. "You should have seen Porco, I thought he was going to faint when she caught it."

"Well…" Annie cooed. "We don't have to worry about them now," She said cupping his cheek. "Because we have the next two weeks just to ourselves."

Responding to her advances Bertholdt put his cup down and carefully pulled Annie on top of him so she straddling his lap. "Should we get started then? Mrs Hoover."

Seconds before their lips came together Annie smirked. "I thought we agreed, Leonhardt is a better name."


	17. Day 17 With their Baby

Day 17 - With their Baby/Babies

It had taken hours but Annie had finally gotten her child to go to sleep. Feeding, burping, changing and storytelling. Annie had done it all and it paid off. Not wanting to wake her Annie silently snuck out of her room, the moment she closed the door behind her she let out a heavy sigh.

"Asleep?" Bertholdt asked as Annie collapsed onto their bed.

"At last," Annie groaned. "I swear that child hates me. She always seems so calm when you're with her."

Bertholdt wrapped his arms around her and pulled Annie against his chest. "She doesn't hate you, she's just a baby. If anything she loves you, you're the one who feeds her most."

Rolling her eyes Annie pushed her back against Bertholdt's chest.

"Yeah well tell her that," As if on cue the sounds of crying echoed from the baby monitor beside them. "Well now you can go tell her yourself. I just put her to sleep, so now it's your turn." Annie chuckled as she pulled the covers off of her lover and around her body.

Bertholdt stretched his arms over his head as he sat up. By the time he stood up the crying had increased in volume and he knew it would be many hours before he got back to bed. Yawning as he walked into the baby's room Bertholdt reached down and picked up his daughter.

"Hush, hush Zofia. Hush, hush," He cooed as he swayed his daughter gently in his arms. Even in the dark Bertholdt could still see the light gold of Zofia's hair. "Your mother is very tired you know," He chuckled. "She works hard to look after you."

Looking up at hm Zofia and stopped crying for a moment.

"That's right," Bertholdt said as he circled a finger through her hair. "That's why I'm here, because mummy is very sleepy and when your mother is sleepy…" He whispered. "She can get scary."

From the his bedroom Bertholdt heard a tired voice. "You forgot about the baby monitor! I can hear everything you say."

Holding back a laugh Bertholdt kissed his daughter's forehead. "See. Mummy can be scary, so be a good girl and go to sleep," Zofia responded by giggling loudly. "No, no. Sleep. Less giggling, more sleeping." Bertholdt said trying to suppress the smirk on his lips.

Bertholdt quickly came to the conclusion that Zofia needed something other than whispered words and gentle swaying to go back to sleep. Taking her out of her room Bertholdt slowly opened the door to his bedroom, once inside he carefully sat down on the side of his bed and rested a hand on Annie's shoulder.

"What?" She groaned.

"I think I found out why our daughter can't sleep." Bertholdt cooed as he kissed Annie's temple.

Annie rolled over and sat up. "And why is that?"

Before answering Bertholdt kissed his baby's forehead. "Behave," He whispered into her ear before putting Zofia in Annie's arms. "She misses her mother."

"Bertl," She sighed. "Whenever I hold her she starts crying," Annie explained as she waited for the inevitable. But it never came. Annie looked down at Zofia and found her sleeping peacefully. "How do you do that? What's your secret?" She gawked.

Bertholdt climbed over his partner and lay down next to her. "I have an amazing wife who gave me a beautiful daughter. I don't have any secret."


	18. Day 18 Family

Day 18 - Family

"Shoulders! Shoulders!" Bertholdt looked down to see his daughter jumping at his legs.

Kneeling down Bertholdt hooked his hands around his child and effortlessly lifted her over his head and gently lowered her onto his shoulders. "How's that?"

Zofia Hoover looked from her new vantage point and squealed. "So high! So high!"

Looking over her shoulder Annie found herself in the odd position of having to look up at her six-year-old daughter. "You do realise we're shopping, not going on an adventure."

Bertholdt sighed as he adjusted Zofia's position. "Everything is an adventure at her age," He said reaching into his pocket with one hand and pulling out a shopping list. "What else do we need?"

Rolling her eyes Annie took the paper from Bertholdt's hand and hummed. "We could do with some fruit-"

"And chocolate!" Both Annie and Bertholdt looked down to see their four-year-old son gazing up at them with wide blue eyes.

Annie sighed heavily before taking her son's hand. "We can't have chocolate all the time," She explained. "It's not good for you. You need to have fruit. That reminds me," She said turning to Bertholdt. "Could you take Zo and get some fruit. I'll take this one and get food for dinner tonight."

"Okay," Bertholdt smiled as he bent down to his son. "Falco," He said ruffling the boy's oak brown hair. "Be good for mum and you might get a treat later." At the prospect of something sweet Falco firmly nodded his head.

"I swear you spoil these kids." Annie scoffed.

Bertholdt responded by leaning in and kissing her cheek, much to Zofia's disgust. "What can I say? I'm a good negotiator." He said with a wink before walking away with his daughter on his shoulders.

Once Bertholdt was gone Falco looked up at his mother and tugged on her sleeve. "Can I go on your shoulders?"

Annie shook her head. "I can't carry you, when daddy gets back he'll carry you."

"Promise?"

"Promise," Annie said kissing his forehead.

"Zofia," Bertholdt said as he stood in front of the many shelves of fruit and vegetables. "Can you find the banana?"

From his shoulders, Zofia hummed as her light blue eyes scanned over the various colors in front of her. "The yellow one!" She said pointing the bunches of bananas.

Reaching out the bananas Bertholdt took two bunches and put them in the basket. "Good and can you find me the oranges?"

"Easy!" Zofia declared as she immediately pointed the bags of oranges to her right.

"Oh was it easy? How about some peppers?" Bertholdt chuckled with narrowed eyes as his daughter pouted at the fruits and vegetables. "Can't find them?" Zofia slowly nodded. Bertholdt reached out picked a bag of various bell peppers.

Zofia took the bag from his hand and examined the peppers inside. "Red and yellow."

"Red and yellow." Bertholdt echoed as he went about collecting the rest of vegetables on the list.

"What about chocolate biscuits?" Falco asked. Annie sighed and shook her head. "What about chocolate cake?"

Stopping in her tracks to rub her temples Annie rolled her shoulders. "No chocolate. Now stop asking"

Falco pouted. "Daddy lets us have chocolate." He sniffed.

Narrowing her eyes Annie looked down to her son. "Does he?" Falco nodded. "What chocolate does he get you?" As Falco lead her towards the sweets. "I'll have to have words with him." She hissed to herself.

As Bertholdt walked between the aisle, occasionally stopping the check the list in his hand Zofia tapped his head. "Daddy?"

"Yes Zofia?"

"Why do you kiss mum?"

Bertholdt chuckled as a light blush rose on his cheeks. "Because I love your mother."

"But mummy doesn't kiss you. Does she not love you?" She asked.

This time Bertholdt stopped walking and reached over his head to ruffle his daughter's hair. "Of course she loves me."

"But she doesn't kiss you?" Zofia pouted.

"She does kiss me… just at night when you're asleep." Bertholdt scoffed as the blush deepened.

Zofia cupped her chin and hummed. "Is that what you were doing last night when Falco came into your room last night? Was mummy kissing you?"

Bertholdt felt his blood run cold. "Um… yes. Yes she was." He coughed.

"So what chocolate does Daddy buy you?" Annie asked standing in front of the confectionery.

Falco hummed as his eyes scanned over the sweets and chocolates. "Those ones." He said pointing to the left of the aisle.

Reaching out Annie to the bag her son was pointing at and her eyes widened. "What?" She gawked. "These are just chocolate coated raisins."

Falco nodded. "They're super tasty!"

"And Daddy get these for you?" Annie asked.

"All the time," Annie smirked as she reached out to grab a handful of the treats for her children. "Is Daddy in trouble?"

Annie knelt down and stroked her son's hair. "Not anymore he's not," Turning around she saw Bertholdt with Zofia still on his shoulders. "Look what I found," Annie cooed holding up a bag of chocolate raisins. "Finally figured out how you get these two to be so good for you."

Bertholdt tilted his head to the side and squinted his eyes. When he finally figured out what his wife was holding he chuckled deeply. "So you found my secret."


	19. Day 19 Height

Day 19 - Height

"Why do they always have to move everything around?" Annie groaned as she looked up to the top shelf of the aisle. Looking around Annie bit her lip as she reached up on her tiptoes to reach the eggs on her shopping list. However, despite her efforts, she couldn't reach what she needed.

Just as she gave up a pair of hands reached over her and easily picked out what Annie had been trying so hard to grasp.

"Excuse me," The owner of the hands hummed. "Is this what you wanted?" Looking behind her Annie found herself tilting her head up to see someone incredibly tall looking down at her with a wide, awkward smile on his lips. "You look like you wanted them quite badly." He chuckled.

Heat suddenly rushed to Annie's checks as she realised he must have seen her reached up on her tiptoes and failing to get what she wanted. "N-no." She stuttered before promptly walking away leaving the man there on his own with a confused expression on his face.

Deciding to get everything else on her list before coming back to the challenging shelf, hopefully when there was nobody around.

It didn't take Annie long to work her way down her list, nothing else was out of reach making her earlier encounter all the more frustrating. As she walked through the various aisles taking what she needed Annie found herself cursing both her own height and the height of the stranger.

"If only I was taller," She sighed. "If only this damn place didn't move everything about every couple of weeks." Annie added as she returned to the aisle where she previously struggled. However the second she turned the corner her eyes widened.

Standing exactly where he was before was the stranger who stood over her before. It didn't take long for him to notice Annie's wide eyed expression, the same smile as before returned to his lips. "Hey!" He said calling out to her. "I was wondering when you'd come back."

"Were you waiting for me?" Annie gawked.

The man nodded. "Like I said you look liked you really wanted this," He said holding up a box of eggs. "So here you go." He smiled as he held the box out to her.

Annie looked at the box in his hands and the wide smile that spread from cheek to cheek. Almost instantly Annie balled her fists as she fought the blush that threatened to rise, turning on her heels she walked away once again leaving the man there with yet another confused expression.

Just around the corner Annie pressed her back against the aisle and sighed. "I don't need his help," She assured herself. "I can get it myself. I just need something to stand on." Annie hummed as she cupped her chin.

She spent the next ten minutes scouring the supermarket for something, anything that would allow her to reach the seemingly cursed eggs. No matter how hard she searched Annie couldn't find anything that would let her reach to the top shelf. "What sort of damn supermarket doesn't had a stool or step-ladder?" She huffed storming through the aisles. "Fine. If I can't get them now I won't get them at all." She said turning a corner towards the eggs.

Annie was so focused she didn't notice the body in front of her until it was too late, whoever she bumped into was incredibly tall. So tall they didn't fall over, instead, they offered their hand to her. "We've got to stop running into each other like this," The voice chuckled. Looking up from the floor Annie found herself staring into the smokey grey eyes of the very same guy as before. "Wanna hand?" He asked holding out his hand.

Batting it away Annie stood and brushed herself down. "I don't need your help getting these eggs." She said.

"I know, I know," He chuckled. "That's why I got this." Pointing to his side Annie saw that he had found the stool she had spent ten minutes looking for.

"Why would I need that?" Annie asked folding her arms.

The man looked down at the stool and hummed. "Well because… well you didn't want me to get them for you so I thought this could help."

Seemingly unaware of the blush on her cheeks Annie took the stool and walked past him. As she approached the shelf and stood on the step Annie looked over at the man. "Thanks." She muttered under her breath.

"If you ever need some help getting any other ingredients give me a call." The man shrugged as he went past Annie who had finally taken the eggs from their shelf, the moment Annie turned around she found a piece of paper in her hand.

 _Save this number. Bertholdt :)_ If Annie was unaware of her blush before, she was most certainly aware of it now.


	20. Day 20 Training

Day 20 - Training

Annie stared hatefully at the rifle in her small hands, from behind her she heard the instructor yelled. "Now be aware you're being graded on this!" Dread slowly dripped through her body as the weapon in her hand suddenly felt a lot heavier.

"Braun! You're first, load your weapon, ready it, take aim and fire at the target."

Looking over to her side she saw a short boy with blonde hair fumbling with the bullets as he loaded his rifle. _He's awful at everything._ Annie thought to herself. _There's no way he'll be picked for a Titan._ As she predicted the boy struggled greatly with the task, nearly dropping his gun and missing the target by nearly a meter the instructor simply shook his head as he moved onto the next cadet.

"Marcel! Repeat." Nodding sharply the boy with sharp brown hair quickly loaded his weapon and emptied his magazine with much greater accuracy than the blonde boy.

 _Damn._ Annie thought to herself. _I didn't realise he was that good at shooting. One more thing I have to worry about._ Annie tightened her grip on her gun as the instructor got closer and closer to her.

"Hoover. You're next!" Annie looked to the cadet right next to her and frowned. _And now I have to be assessed right after the best guy in the class._ Ever since she enlisted Annie had narrowed her eyes at Bertholdt Hoover, something about him didn't seem right, he was in her opinion exceptionally gifted but he showed no initiative in anything he did and it pissed her off beyond description.

"Y-yes sir," Bertholdt mumbled as he leveled his weapon against his shoulder and took a deep breath. With startling speed and accuracy, Bertholdt shot the center of the target without missing once and much to Annie's frustration he didn't it without blinking or breaking a sweat.

For a brief moment, the instructor seemed shocked to the point of silence. "Fantastic work Hoover," He coughed. "Leonhardt."

"Sir." Annie said before shouldering her rifle. After getting the target in her sight she exhaled slowly Annie squeezed the trigger. Wincing as the stock of the gun rocketed into her chest Annie shut her eyes. Although it was only for a second she hesitated long enough for the instructor to notice.

Gritting her teeth Annie pulled the trigger over and over until she ran out of bullets. Finally focusing on the target Annie felt her blood run cold, the bullets had created a messy ring around the center point of the target and after seeing Bertholdt's performance the instructor clicked his tongue and moved on to the next cadet.

After firearms training was finished and Annie had cleaned her rifle she let out a heavy sigh of relief because next was something she could make up marks in. Hand to hand combat.

Annie was so glad to have that repulsive weapon out of her hand, it felt so natural to ball her fists and take up the stance her father had taught her since she could walk. Looking between the other cadets Annie knew that she was by far the best fighter.

"Leonhardt! Hoover! You're first." _Finally. I can get back at him._ Annie smirked as she stood in front of Bertholdt. "Begin!"

Rushing forward Annie kept her guard close to her face as she quickly closed the distance between them. The sudden nature of Annie's rush caused Bertholdt to throw a blind, panicked jab towards where he last saw her.

To Annie it appeared as if Bertholdt was moving at a snail's pace, and with an icy smile, she ducked beneath his fist before rocketing up and wrapping her arms around Bertholdt's own arm and his neck. Shifting all her weight forward Annie kicked out Bertholdt's feet and the two of them quickly fell into the dirt.

Annie pulled her arm around her neck she cut off Bertholdt's breathing, despite his superior height, weight and strength all he could do was struggle against her incredibly strong hold.

"Leonhardt. That's enough," At the instructor's order Annie disengaged and brushed the dirt from her uniform. "Braun, Porco you're next." As Reiner and Porco stepped forward Annie looked over her shoulder to see Bertholdt coddling his arm.

"You didn't need to throw me so hard." Bertholdt pouted as he stood in line next to her.

Annie rolled her eyes. "We're training to be warriors. If you can't handle this you're not cut out for the Titans." She said adjusting her armband.

"There's more to being a warrior than hand to hand combat," Bertholdt explained. "That's why we practise shooting and endurance training."

"I'm pretty much guaranteed to get the Female Titan," Annie sighed. "I don't need to bother with anything that isn't martial arts."

Bertholdt cupped his chin and hummed. "Peick could get it and if you don't get good marks you might get kicked off the program."

Balling her fists Annie found herself biting her tongue. "I-I'll be fine," She assured herself. "And what about you?" She said turning to face him. "Your combat skills are nearly as low as his," She paused pointing to Reiner who was on the floor in a cloud of dust as Porco stood above him with a wide smile on his lips. "You need to work on your martial arts or your grades will drop."

"Yeah," Bertholdt sighed. "I'm nowhere near as good as you…" An uneasy silence fell on the two of them as Peick and Marcel took up their stances. "Wait!" Bertholdt gasped, much to Annie shock. "If you teach me martial arts I can help you with your shooting."

Feeling a foreign warmth rise in her cheeks she found herself staring at Bertholdt's bright smile and wide, gentle eyes. "Are you sure? I mean what do you get out of it?"

"Other than the help?" Bertholdt hummed. "Well I just think it's nice to be a good person to others and me helping you makes me a good person and you helping me makes you a good person." He said shrugging his shoulders.

The heat in Annie's cheeks threatened to reveal itself as a deep red blush. "You think I could be a good person?"

Bertholdt offered his open to hand and nodded. "If you help me and I help you then...yes you can."

Reaching out Annie cautiously took his hand and shook it. The moment her hand made contact with his and her eyes met his she felt the blush rise to the surface of her cheeks.


	21. Day 21 Dancing

**This great oneshot was actually written by my friend who has been helping me out this month. If you like this then make sure to check out her other stories on her fanfic Ostara-san**

* * *

As soon as Bertholdt's key turns in the lock he smells it. Annie's cooking. He breathes in deeply, enjoying the smell. He's always loved Annie's cooking. It was one of the first things that caused him to fall in love with her.

"I'm home!" He calls out, putting his bags down and walking into the kitchen.

"I wasn't expecting you back so soon," Annie says without turning around. She's standing over the oven, stirring a pot of soup she's just made. Bertholdt smiles as he watches her. Her hair is falling out of its bun again and she's got an orange stain on the back of her apron where she wiped her hands on it. "Got let off an hour early and the traffic was pretty clear," Bertholdt says, pouring himself a glass of juice from the fridge. "How was your day?" "Well, other than this soup which has been pissing me off, it's been okay, I guess." Bertholdt puts his glass in the dishwasher and walks over to Annie, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder. "What's wrong with it?" He asks. "It smells good to me." "No, it's shit. It just doesn't taste right."

"Got let off an hour early and the traffic was pretty clear," Bertholdt says, pouring himself a glass of juice from the fridge. "How was your day?" "Well, other than this soup which has been pissing me off, it's been okay, I guess." Bertholdt puts his glass in the dishwasher and walks over to Annie, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder. "What's wrong with it?" He asks. "It smells good to me." "No, it's shit. It just doesn't taste right."

"Well, other than this soup which has been pissing me off, it's been okay, I guess." Bertholdt puts his glass in the dishwasher and walks over to Annie, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder. "What's wrong with it?" He asks. "It smells good to me." "No, it's shit. It just doesn't taste right."

Bertholdt puts his glass in the dishwasher and walks over to Annie, wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder. "What's wrong with it?" He asks. "It smells good to me." "No, it's shit. It just doesn't taste right."

"What's wrong with it?" He asks. "It smells good to me." "No, it's shit. It just doesn't taste right."

"No, it's shit. It just doesn't taste right."

Betholdt looks at her and kisses her on the cheek. "You want a hand?" "No," Annie says stubbornly. "Then maybe some music might help," he grins and switches on his speaker. The playlist that he made for Annie starts to play. He had made it long before he thought he would ever have the guts to play it to her, and it's full of songs that

"No," Annie says stubbornly. "Then maybe some music might help," he grins and switches on his speaker. The playlist that he made for Annie starts to play. He had made it long before he thought he would ever have the guts to play it to her, and it's full of songs that

"Then maybe some music might help," he grins and switches on his speaker. The playlist that he made for Annie starts to play. He had made it long before he thought he would ever have the guts to play it to her, and it's full of songs that

The playlist that he made for Annie starts to play. He had made it long before he thought he would ever have the guts to play it to her, and it's full of songs that reminds him of her. "Wise men say," Bertholdt sings, with a voice that Annie has always loved to hear, "only fools rush in/ but I can't help falling in love with you." Annie takes the heat off the soup, abandoning it and resolving to order

"Wise men say," Bertholdt sings, with a voice that Annie has always loved to hear, "only fools rush in/ but I can't help falling in love with you." Annie takes the heat off the soup, abandoning it and resolving to order

Annie takes the heat off the soup, abandoning it and resolving to order takeaway instead. Turning around she takes Bertholdt's and lets him pull her close. His hand sits gently on her waist and her head is nestled on his shoulder. She breathes in deeply and smiles, swaying gently with him to the music and allowing herself to enjoy the moment.

"You know, after the first day of freshman year after I saw you for the first time, I went home and listened to this song on repeat and that's when I decided I was in love with you," Bertholdt says, holding Annie a little tighter.

"Don't be stupid," Annie says, "you can't just decide you're in love with someone."

"Was I wrong?" Betholdt laughs and leans back a little. He lifts her head and kisses her quickly on the lips before she can reply. He can feel her smile against his lips.

"You could have been. Though I'm glad you weren't." Annie stands up on her tiptoes and wraps her arms around his neck.

"Me too. Now dance with me." The soup, abandoned, slowly goes cold as Bertholdt and Annie dance their way through the entire playlist. For the first time, Bertholdt explains the reason for every song on the playlist. The early songs date back to the time before they knew each other; when Bert harbored a giant crush on Annie but she barely knew he was. The songs which some after (pretty accurately, Annie thinks) depict Bertholdt's struggle with hiding his feelings while they were friends. After that comes Annie's favorite. It's a pretty run of the mill dance track, the track that played on the night of a house party during college where Bertholdt had too much to drink and confessed to an equally drunk Annie that he had been in love with her for five years. As they dance to it, laughing, it feels to Bertholdt as if they are nineteen again, drunk and madly in love. Instead he is twenty-seven, sober, but still madly in love - as much so as on the first day of freshman year.


	22. Day 22 Princess and Knight

Day 22 - Princess and Knight

"My daughter I implore you. Please change your mind," Annie looked to her side to see her father sitting upon his throne, a pleading look in his eyes. Rolling her eyes she looked to the various men that were lined up in front of her. "Surely one of these knights must suit you."

Deciding to indulge her father Annie stood up from her own throne and walked past each of the knelt soldiers, as she went past each one Annie looked them up and down. With each one she found herself rolling her eyes.

"Father," She said. "I care not for knights with more pride than brains." Even without looking at them Annie could feel the hateful eyes boring into the back of her head.

Annie's father let his head fall into his hands as he rubbed his eyes. "Leave us." He ordered.

"Yes, your majesty." The knights shouted before standing and marching out of the hall. Once the heavy wooden doors closed Annie's father stood and walked beside his daughter.

"You must understand," He sighed. "A marriage to one of the other kingdoms will secure our people's prosperity. And not to mention, these knights would look after you. You would live a life of luxury."

Turning to her father Annie balled her fists. "Don't I already? Besides if I were to marry I would have to leave and this is my home."

"But think of the kingdom."

"Before I am a princess I am your daughter, and a friend," Annie explained. "I would miss you father, and Hitch. None of those knights would see me a friend or wife. Only a trophy."

With a dry chuckle, Annie's father rested a hand on her shoulder. "You're just like your mother you know that?" He said as he left the main hall.

Once he was gone Annie let out a heavy sigh, she leaned against the wall looking out of one of the many large windows and watched her people go about their daily lives. Her father's kingdom was not a large one or a very powerful one. But it's people were happy and well fed and Annie was content.

However the moment her father was blessed with a daughter he knew that one day he would have to send her away to marry into a more powerful kingdom. The thought never sat well with him, but it sat even worse with Annie.

As she watched the knights she had just evaluated leave Annie found herself rolling her eyes yet again. "All pride, no heart," She whispered under her breath. Annie was shook from her thoughts when she heard the door creak open.

"Your highness, is everything okay?" Upon hearing the gentle and familiar voice Annie smirked.

Turning to face her armour clad knight Annie clasped her hands behind her back. "It's okay Bertholdt. We're alone in here," The knight sighed and reached up to his helmet. "And how many times do I have to tell you, you don't have to wear your helmet inside."

"This is a castle and I am a knight. It's only natural for me to wear my armour," Bertholdt explained as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I didn't come in here to discuss my armour, I was wondering why I saw so many knights from nearby kingdoms."

Annie sighed and came up to Bertholdt's side. "I'm the princess so take a guess." She said pressing her hand against his chest plate.

"Oh. I see," Bertholdt said in a deep voice. "What did you say to them?"

"I told them they're all pride and no brains."

Wrapping a hand around her waist Bertholdt pulled her close to him. "Using my words now are we?"

"How can I not?" She cooed. "They're what convinced me to make you my personal knight."

Humming Bertholdt cupped his chin. "If I remember my words were more heart than pride."

"I've got to have some originality right?" Annie said before pulling him down and kissing his cheek.

Bertholdt gently pushed her away and wiped his cheek. "Annie we can't. Not here, what if someone found out?"

Annie responded by taking his hand and pressing it against her stomach. "They're going to find out sooner or later and I can only refuse my father for so long."

"It was your father who allowed me to become a knight. And behind his back I've done this."

With a light jab to his side Annie got Bertholdt's attention. "I can hear you you know. And this," She said rubbing her abdomen. "Is a good thing. Something I wouldn't want with anyone else."

"If only there was a way for our relationship to be accepted." Bertholdt sighed.

Annie went back to the window and stood in silence. After what felt like an eternity Annie struck her fist against her open palm. "I've got it."

"Got what?" Bertholdt asked.

Annie pointed to the longbow around Bertholdt's back. "A tournament. You're the best archer in the kingdom. Not to mention your skills as a jouster."

"Would I be allowed to take part in such an event?"

"I am the princess you know. Believe it or not my words do carry some weight around here." Annie said with a smile.

Bowing slightly Bertholdt smiled. "As you wish, your highness."


	23. Day 23 In formal wear

Day 23 - In formal wear

Bertholdt turned off the engine to his car and leaned back in his seat, sighing heavily. "She already said yes, what do I have to worry about?" He told himself over and over again as he waited outside of Annie's home. In the next ten minutes, Bertholdt checked the time on his phone countless times. When the time finally arrived Bertholdt nearly jumped out of his skin, checking himself in the mirror of his car one last time he got out and stretched his arms over his head.

"She already said yes," Bertholdt repeated to himself as he walked up to the door. "I just need to act cool, like Reiner told me," However the instant he knocked on the door Bertholdt felt worry pour through his veins. "W-what if she thinks I look stupid?" It was too late for worries and regrets.

From behind the door, Bertholdt could hear someone approaching. Taking one last second to straighten out any non-existent creases in his suit Bertholdt took a deep breath as the door opened.

Bertholdt's eyes widened when he finally saw his date. In all his years of knowing her Bertholdt had never seen her in anything other than a school uniform or a tracksuit but now, now standing in front of him Annie Leonhardt was wearing a dress. White as snow the dress clung to Annie's frame, allowing Bertholdt to admire the natural curves of her body. The dress itself was plain, with no extravagant patterns to take any attention off of the wearer. Bertholdt found his eyes drawn mainly to Annie's hair. Gone was her mess tied back bun, instead it was down at her shoulders.

To Bertholdt it was like an angel was standing in front of him.

And while she retained her composure Annie found herself to be equally flustered. She knew Bertholdt's height was already one her favorite things about him but now she was looking at his shoulders. The suit he was wearing was nothing special but it was the way he was wearing that threatened to bring a blush to Annie's cheeks.

A simple white shirt with an unbuttoned black jacket. On Bertholdt's body that was all it took to send Annie into a tizzy, specifically the way the shirt clung to his chest and shoulders, highlighting his broadness and strength.

Both of them were so stunned by the other that they stood in silence for what felt like an hour just looking at each other.

Eventually, it was only when rain began to fall did the two of them realise their silence.

After several unsuccessful attempts Bertholdt stuttered. "Annie you look… you look amazing."

Upon hearing the compliment Annie looked down at herself and hummed. "Really?" She said twirling around, showing her exposed back.

"Y-yes…" Bertholdt nodded with an incredibly deep blush.

Annie smirked and reached out straighten out a crease in Bertholdt's shoulder. "You look pretty impressive yourself. If I had known you looked this good in a suit I would have been the one to ask you to prom, not the other way round."

Bertholdt froze at Annie's touch. "T-thank you. But you're the one who's going to steal all the attention tonight."

"As long as I have your attention I think that should be more than enough," Annie smirked reaching up to stroke his hair. "Shall we get going?" Annie asked linking her arm through his.

"Of course." Bertholdt smiled as he lead her towards the car.


	24. Day 24 Cuddling somewhere

Day 24 - Cuddling somewhere

Even in the dark Bertholdt could see that they were the only ones in the theatre. Sighing he leaned back in his seat and rubbed his temples. "I can't believe we're the only ones in here." He yawned.

From beside him, Bertholdt heard a low groan. "At least that means we can talk during the movie," Annie said gesturing to the empty cinema.

"I still don't understand why though," Bertholdt hummed. "I guess this movie wasn't as popular as I thought."

"What does it matter?" Annie shrugged. "We wanted to see it, that's what's important." She said stretching her arms over her head. Relishing in the feeling of her bones and muscles relaxing Annie let her head fall on Bertholdt's shoulder.

Raising his eyebrows Bertholdt chuckled. "Not getting sleepy are we?"

Annie responded by sending her elbow into his side. "So what if I am? I can't help it if your shoulder is comfortable."

Bertholdt rolled his eyes and leaned down slightly to give Annie a better angle on his shoulder but he found the armrest getting in both his and his partner's way. "Damn thing," Bertholdt muttered under his breath. "Sorry Ann, this stupid thing won't budge."

With a frustrated sigh Annie looked down at the arm guard and balled her fists. "For the love of," Annie growled as she fought with the arm rest. "Screw this." She eventually moaned before standing up.

Thankful that no one else was in the cinema Annie got up and brushed the popcorn crumbs from her shirt.

"Ann?" Bertholdt asked.

Annie didn't give a response as she stood in front of Bertholdt. Instead, she simply turned on her heels and sat down on Bertholdt's lap. Much to his surprise.

For a moment Bertholdt was frozen, it was rare for Annie to show signs of affection since they got together. Bertholdt was immediately relieved when he remembered that they were the only two there. Leaning back against his chest Annie took his hands and wrapped them around her midsection.

"Is this more comfortable?" Bertholdt asked.

Annie yawned. "Much more."

Once, Annie, was comfy Bertholdt let his arms fall to his side as he focused on the movie. However, the instant Annie realised his arms were no longer around her she turned to face him with narrowed eyes. "What are you doing?" Annie asked pulling his arms around her once again before she pushed her head into the crook of his neck.

"Nothing." Bertholdt chuckled, holding onto her even harder.


	25. Day 25 A selfie together

Day 25 - A selfie together

Bertholdt frowned at his phone screen. "That's no good," He sighed. "Again."

Turning to look away from the ocean Annie looked at him "What are you going on about this time?" She asked.

"Oh," Bertholdt blushed, unaware that Annie had heard him. "Nothing really." He said putting his phone in his pocket.

"What was it?" Annie asked more firmly.

Sighing Bertholdt gestured to the view in front of them. They had been on the beach now for nearly two hours and while everyone else was having fun in the waves or had gone to get ice creams and food Bertholdt and Annie had volunteered to stay behind and look after their spot on the beach.

Taking out his phone Bertholdt pouted. "I wanted to take a picture of the sea but I couldn't get it to come out right."

"Give it here," Annie sighed snatching the phone from his hand. Looking through the screen Annie lined up the perfect shot and took several photographs of the shoreline. "There. That should be good enough right."

Bertholdt took his phone and scrolled through the pictures Annie had taken. As he expected they were amazing. Capturing the sun's sparkling reflection off of the gentle ocean waves the pictures made Bertholdt think back to how he met Annie in the first place.

As a student Bertholdt greatly enjoyed the arts in all their forms, he could often be found in his studio covered in paint and pastels. Over time Bertholdt came to love the camera yet despite the many hours he spent looking through a lense he couldn't capture a photo he was happy with. That was when somebody new joined the photography society.

Annie Leonhardt was a natural when it came to taking pictures, no matter the situation she could always capture a still in time in all its beauty. No matter the weather or environment Annie could always take a photograph that stole Bertholdt's breath.

Holding his phone in his hands Bertholdt bit his lip as he looked to Annie. "Um… Thank you," Bertholdt mumbled. "But there's something wrong with it."

"Hmm?" Annie hummed. "What is it?" She asked looking at Bertholdt's phone. With a sudden flash Annie stumbled back slightly. "What the hell was that?"

Bertholdt blushed. "I… I just wanted to take a nice picture," He said smiling down at his phone. "You just looked really nice with the wind in your hair so…"

"So you tricked me and took a selfie of us?" Annie sighed. "Let me see it."

Reluctantly Bertholdt handed over his phone to Annie. In the picture he had taken Bertholdt was smiling like a child on Christmas however, Annie had no smile or grin. Instead she was simply scowling at the camera. Sighing she held the phone up again and grabbed Bertholdt's arm.

"Annie?" Bertholdt asked an instant before he was blinded by the flash of his phone.

"There," Annie said handing the phone back to him. "That's much better. I'm going for a swim now, look after my stuff."

Before he could stop her Annie was jogging towards the ocean. Looking down at his phone Bertholdt found himself smiling.

Annie had pulled him close to her a second before the picture was taken and unlike before Annie wasn't scowling, instead, she was smiling. It was a small grin compared to his beaming expression but nevertheless, it was a smile. And while Annie would have denied it Bertholdt swore he could see a blush on Annie's cheeks.


	26. Day 26 In a different Clothing style

This is written by my friend, she's doing me a favour on this one! Check out her stories on Ao3 (Ostara-san) if you like this :)

* * *

Annie stared at herself in the changing room mirror, and sighed.

 _What am I thinking?_

She was wearing a tight, short black dress, which was low cut and clung to her figure, showing off her small waist and chest. She wore black heels that she could barely stand up in. Her grey hoodie and leggings lay crumpled on the floor, next to her trainers. Annie longed to put her old clothes back on, but Hitch was insisting that she came out of the changing room.

"Well?" She shouted. "Come out, I want to see!"

Annie half-rolled her eyes at Hitch's impatience and wearily pulled the curtain aside. Hitch squealed.

"I love it!" She shrieked so loudly Annie was pretty sure the whole mall could hear. "What's wrong? Don't you like it?"

Annie shrugged. "It looks fine, I guess, but it's so tight. It's uncomfortable and I hate how much of my boobs it shows."

"But that's the best part!" Hitch gave her a disapproving look. "You look hot. He's going to love it."

"Ughh."

"Go on, go and get changed. But we're definitely buying that outfit."

* * *

Later that night, Annie thanked her Uber driver and stood in front of the nightclub with Hitch, waiting to be let in. After an hour's practise earlier that evening, she could walk better in her heels, but she was still a little shaky. Hitch had also given her a makeover - Annie was wearing makeup for the first time in her life, and a lot of it. She hadn't realised how much was wrong with her face before Hitch started covering her in products. Her hair wasn't in its usual bun - instead, it was in loose curls.

Annie shivered. It was a cold night, but Hitch had insisted that only losers took coats on a night out, and told her to man up. When they were let in, the nightclub was already packed with people dancing and having a good time. Hitch immediately dragged Annie over to the bar and bought drinks for them both.

"Cheers," Hitch said, and they both downed their drinks in one. Annie would have done anything to feel less uncomfortable at that moment, and drinking was certainly on the cards. She had no idea why she had even agreed to come out to a club, but Reiner was dragging Bertholdt along, and she wanted to see him.

"Let's go find the boys." Hitch practically had to shout to be heard over the music. "Hopefully you'll brighten up once you see that precious boyfriend of yours."

Annie scowled at her. "We've barely been dating for two weeks, I wouldn't exactly call him my boyfriend."

"Hitch! Annie!"

Annie turned around to see Reiner calling them from the other side of the dancefloor. Bertholdt was walking behind him, looking shy and awkward.

"There you are!" Hitch kissed him full on the mouth, and Annie and Bertholdt looked at each other uncomfortably.

"Want to go somewhere less loud, or do you want to dance or something?" Bertholdt asked Annie, praying she would say yes to the former.

She did.

"You look, um… nice," he said once they could talk without having to shout.

"Gee, thanks. You don't have to sound _so_ enthusiastic about it," Annie said sarcastically, tugging at the hem of her too-short dress.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. You look great, seriously. It's just…"

"What?" Annie snapped. She felt a mix of humiliation and discomfort.

"You don't exactly look that comfortable."

Annie laughed. He knew her so well. "No, I'm not. Why do other girls dress up like this anyway? It's so much easier to dance in leggings. Ugh. I wish I was at home watching movies, I _really_ don't want to be here."

Bertholdt shrugged. "Let's go then."

"What do you mean?"

"Come back to mine. We can watch a film and eat a bunch of snacks."

"But don't you want to be here?"

"Are you kidding? I only showed up because Reiner wanted me to. I thought you were the one that wanted to be here."

"No, I only came because Hitch wanted me to," Annie laughed. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

Half an hour later, the pair were curled up on the sofa watching Mulan. Bertholdt had dragged his duvet downstairs and they were sharing a tub of ice cream lying underneath it. Annie's outfit and heels had been discarded in Bertholdt's bedroom, as he had given her a t-shirt (which was longer than the dress she had been wearing before) and a pair of sweatpants (which were about twice the size of her). She had scrubbed off the makeup, and tied her hair back into the bun she always wore it in.

Bertholdt looked at her. Even though he had loved her outfit in the nightclub, something about the way she looked wearing his clothes and a happy smile was a thousand times more beautiful to him.

"Comfy?" He asked.

She said nothing, but nodded and kissed him on the cheek.


	27. Day 27 On their Birthday

"You must be desperate if you're asking me for advice." Mikasa sighed.

Annie balled her fists. "I just wanted to ask you something and when I asked Reiner he just laughed at me."

Mikasa hummed as she swirled her coffee in her cup. "So what's wrong then?"

Not even hesitating Annie asked. "What did you get Eren for his birthday?"

"Huh? Why do you want to know?" Mikasa asked, this time Annie did hesitate with her answer, stuttering over her words quickly allowed Mikasa to figure out what Annie was trying to say. "Oh… I see. Bertholdt's birthday is soon isn't it?"

Annie nodded.

"And you have no idea what to get him?"

Annie nodded.

"And you think I have an idea of what to get him?"

Annie nodded again.

Mikasa rolled her eyes and took a long sip from her drink. "It should be easy. What does Bertholdt like?"

Cupping her chin Annie hummed. "Well he likes painting." She shrugged.

"Then get him some paints. I don't really see why you need me to tell you that." Mikasa sighed.

Annie leaned back in her chair. "I got him some paints for Christmas. I want to get him something special." She said with a light blush.

"Well," Mikasa cooed. "Last year I took Eren to a drive in cinema. He said he always wanted to go to one," She paused to hide the blush that accompanied the memories of that night. "So has Bertholdt brought something, anything up recently?"

Annie thought back to the past few days. "If anything he's been stockpiling his paints. When I asked him what his next project was he just shrugged and said it was a stupid idea."

Now interested, Mikasa leaned forward over the table. "Did you find any hints as to where or what he wants to paint?"

Annie shook her head but the thought remained, even as she walked home that night. As she lay in bed staring up at the ceiling Annie bit her lip. Despite Mikasa's advice Annie couldn't find a single clue to help her decide on her present for Bertholdt. She found herself unable to sleep until the early hours of the morning. Deciding that lying in bed and doing nothing was a waste of time, Annie quietly snuck out of bed, careful not to wake Bertholdt. Once up Annie made her way around their home looking for the hints Mikasa had told her about.

It took her nearly all night but Annie finally figured it out. As she was searching through his paints Annie found a brochure for a spot in the countryside. Suddenly Annie remembered how Bertholdt had wanted to take a few days off work to go and paint in that exact place.

"Why hasn't he done that yet?" Annie said to herself, perplexed. "Knowing him, he'd be too shy to ask for the time off. Hm… now that's an idea!"

The next day Annie called Bertholdt's boss.

"Hi, Mr Jaeger, this is Annie, Bertholdt's partner?"

"Ahh, Annie! I've heard so much about you. Please, call me Zeke."

"Ah, well, um… Zeke… I was wondering if I could book a few holiday days for Bertholdt as a surprise. For his birthday."

Annie heard Zeke laugh down the line. "I was wondering if he was really going to work on his birthday, but he never asked me for the time off. That's fine. Will two days do?"

"Thank you, that's great. His birthday and the day after?"

"Done and done. Anything else I can do for you, Annie?"

"If you could keep it a secret, that would be great."

"I got it. Your secret's safe with me."

"Thanks, Zeke." She hung up, thinking about how weird he was.

Christmas had passed a few days before, and the nights were chilly. Annie spent her evening curled up next to the fire while Bertholdt was at the gym, planning what she would need to take in secret and how she was going to get it without him noticing. The drive would only take an hour. She booked a last minute room in a cozy little hotel nearby to the spot. Over the next two days Annie swiped various paints and brushes from his collection, packing them secretly along with clothes and other things she thought he might need.

When Bertholdt's birthday finally came Annie woke him up to his favourite breakfast - salmon with scrambled eggs - and a steaming mug of tea Bertholdt loved so much on the cold winter mornings.

"Do you need a lift to work today?" Annie asked him slyly, knowing full well that he wouldn't be attending work for the next two days.

"Ahhh you're the best. I would love that, thanks."

"Anything for you," Annie grinned.

She had packed everything into the back of her Jeep the night before while Bertholdt was asleep. It was perfect; he didn't expect a thing.

The snow-covered roads were passing quickly, and after five minutes of driving in the opposite direction to Bertholdt's office, he finally asked what was going on.

"Annie… where are you going?"

She said nothing, just grinned and kept driving.

"Annie, I'm going to be late." Bertholdt looked at her confusedly.

"Open the glovebox," she said. He did, and inside was the brochure Annie had found. "Happy birthday."

Bertholdt took a few seconds before spluttering out, "what, Annie? You didn't!"

"I did," she smiled at him.

"How?"

"I called Zeke and got the time off for you. I know you wanted to go, so…"

"Annie, you're seriously the best. This is the most thoughtful gift, I love you so much!"

"Yeah, yeah, I love you, too."

She smiled, and made a mental note to thank Mikasa.


	28. Day 28 Crossover

Day 28 - Movie/Series/Game crossover

Harry Potter:

A relationship between a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff certainly had its downsides, but that was not to say it didn't have benefits. People were often shocked to find that the Head Girl of Slytherin and the Head Boy of Hufflepuff were dating - it was an unorthodox pairing, to say the least, but Annie Leonhardt and Bertholdt Hoover were fiercely protective of one another.

Although Slytherins and Hufflepuffs often didn't get along, on certain occasions the house traits aligned, and such was the case with Annie and Bertholdt. His persistence had eroded her cold exterior, while her intolerance for bullshit had helped him stick up for himself. He was loyal, and always stuck by her, keeping her on track. She was ambitious and inspired him every day.

The result of this relationship was that the two of them were at many times the talk of the school, much to Annie's frustration and Bertholdt's embarrassment. The story of how they got together was well known across the houses. It began in fifth year, when the pair had struck up an unlikely alliance during Care of Magical Creatures class. Bertholdt had been able to see through the confidence Annie was feigning when confronted with a Hippogriff, and had guided her through the process of how to approach one. At first, Annie had been confused by Bertholdt's kindness, as nobody from any other house had shown her it before, but as the classes went on Bertholdt continued to offer his support and help.

"Why are you doing this?" Annie had asked one day as Bertholdt instructed her on how to tend to a Blast-Ended Skrewt.

"... Because you need help?" He replied confusedly.

"Look around. Everyone thinks this is weird." Annie said with a puzzled expression.

"Oh." Bertholdt scanned the rest of the class. As Annie had said, many of their classmates were looking over at them. "Do you want me to go then?"

Annie narrowed her eyes at him. "What is it you want from me?"

"Nothing, what are you talking about? You needed help so I'm helping you out, what's wrong with that?"

"I don't understand Hufflepuffs," Annie said, rolling her eyes. "Why do something for nothing in return?"

Unbeknownst to them, most of the class were listening in - using more than one pair of Extendable Ears. Rumours were already beginning to fly.

"Why not help if you can? It's the right thing to do isn't it?"

Annie shrugged. "Yeah, whatever. I'm not going to say no to help when you're actually pretty good at this subject."

He smiled.

Two weeks after that conversation, Bertholdt finally worked up the courage to ask her on a trip to Hogsmeade, citing studying as his excuse. He was almost surprised when she said yes.

They had just finished their second glass of butterbeer each when Annie asked him outright.

"Is this a date?"

Bertholdt was glad he had just finished his drink or he might have spat it all over his notes.

"W-what!?" He spluttered.

"You heard me. Well is it?"

"I-I mean…"

"I'll take that as a yes," she smirked.

They had been together ever since, and Bertholdt continued to help Annie through their N.E.W.T. Care of Magical Creatures lessons.


	29. Day 29 In each other's clothes

Day 29 - In each other's clothes

"I'm so sorry," Bertholdt stuttered as he ran through the rain. "This isn't how I planned our date."

Behind him, Annie held her jacket over her head. "It's not your fault, you can't control the weather."

The two of them ran through the rain together, they had planned to go for a walk through the city, go for coffee and just enjoy each other's company. However their plans were quickly ruined when the sky turned an ominous dark grey and when they heard the first rumblings of thunder the two of them knew they would have to hurry to shelter or risk being soaked through.

Despite their efforts, they found themselves caught in the heavy downpour and soon they were drenched down to the skin. "Where are we going?" Annie asked as she ran beside him.

"I thought we'd go back to mine, I have plenty of towels and spare clothes," Bertholdt explained as they rounded a corner. "Y-you can have a shower as well if you want."

Annie let out a sigh of relief. Bertholdt didn't live far away and she knew she could warm up once they got there. The thought of a how shower driving her forward Annie mustered all the strength the rain hadn't yet sapped away and ran with all her might.

With the two of them running as fast as their legs could carry them Bertholdt and Annie soon made it to his front door. The instant he opened the door both of them fell through into Bertholdt's home.

"You stay here," Bertholdt said as he took off his coat. "I'll go grab you a towel and run a bath." After taking a second to push his dripping hair out of his face Bertholdt took off his shoes and ran through the corridors leaving Annie standing in the doorway.

Working as quickly as he could Bertholdt turned on the hot water, grabbed a variety of towels and ran back to his partner who was still dripping wet in his doorway. The moment she saw him holding the towels Annie took off her top leaving her in her bra and trousers.

Bertholdt immediately felt a burning blush rise to his cheeks and Annie walked up to him and took the top towel. "Thanks but… I could do with some clothes." She whispered against his neck standing on her tiptoes.

The moment he heard the bathroom door close Bertholdt fell against the wall breathing heavily. He and Annie had been together for nearly a year now but that didn't stop his heart from pounding whenever he saw her taking off any item of clothing and now she was in his bath and being in a bath meant wearing no clothes at all.

The blush on Bertholdt's cheeks flared up even harder at the very thought and Bertholdt considered sticking his head back out into the rain to clear his head of such thoughts.

Remembering that Annie would need clothes after getting out of the bath Bertholdt looked in his draws and sighed. "There's no way any of this will fit her," He groaned holding up a hooded jumper and sweatpants. "The hoodie alone will hang off her like a giant dress," Bertholdt chuckled. "Well, it's better than nothing." He said with a resounding shrug before heading to the bathroom.

Inside Annie had just finished washing her hair and was lying in the steaming water, relishing in the heat. "It's a shame we couldn't go on our date," She sighed splashing some of the water on her face. "But… this is still pretty nice." Annie's train of thought was interrupted by a knocking on the door.

"Ann?" Bertholdt mumbled through the door.

"Yeah?"

"I've got some of my clothes here, they're...a bit big but if you want them I'll leave them out here."

Annie sat up in the bath and smiled. "Thanks. I'll be out in a bit." She said reluctantly leaving the warmth of the water.

Once dry Annie wrapped her hair in the towel and stretched her arms over her head. Now thoroughly relaxed Annie opened the door and quickly snatched the clothes Bertholdt had left her before closing the door.

Holding the clothes in front of her Annie shook her head as her smile grew. Like Bertholdt warned the jumper hung off her and almost reached her knees and the sweatpants would simply fall off of her unless she held them in place. "This is ridiculous." Annie scoffed to herself as she opened the door.

Bertholdt was in the kitchen leaning on the counter when he heard someone behind him. "Ah Annie how are the-." His voice trailed off when he turned around and saw Annie standing with the jumper slipping down one shoulder and the sweatpants tied around her waist.

"What do you think?" She asked.

Stifling a laugh Bertholdt came up to her and pulled the jumper over her exposed shoulder only for it to fall down her arm seconds later. "Well… it looks cozy."

"Well you're not wrong," Annie smirked. "I'm not sure it'd work though if I offered you my clothes." She said waving the waving the limp sleeves around.

Bertholdt grabbed where he expected Annie's hands to be but he only clasped fabric. "I think you're right." He said before yet again pulling the jumper back over her shoulder.


	30. Day 30 On the beach

Day 30 - On the beach

Annie never quite understood the allure of beaches, the sand was annoying, the sun was too hot, the wind too strong and the sea too cold. She could never understand why people would get so excited over a visit to the seaside.

Bertholdt on the other hand loved nothing more than the feeling of the sand against his feets, the beating heat of the sun against his forehead, the cooling wind that always made sure he didn't get too hot and the chilling ocean that would allow him to lie back and relish in the gentle lapping of the waves over his body. He could never understand why people wouldn't get so excited over a visit to the seaside.

It was a surprise to everyone then when they saw Annie leading Bertholdt into the sea.

"I'm not the only one seeing that am I?" Reiner gawked as Annie dived under the water.

Peick looked up from her book and lowered her sunglasses. "I'm seeing it to. Annie Leonhardt is going in the ocean. I reckon it's to do with the tall, tanned and toned man at her side." She chuckled.

From her side came a deep hum. "You're exactly right Peick. Annie would never normally go in the sea. But with him at her side I don't think she minds the cold." Both Riener and Peick looked over to see a tall man with glasses smirking at the couple as they swam together.

"Oi Zeke," Reiner bellowed. "Stop staring at them," He said throwing the ball in his hand at him. "Leave them alone for now and hurry over and play with me and Porco, you to Pieck."

Free of prying eyes Bertholdt let out a heavy sigh as he watched Zeke charge at Reiner with the ball in his hand.

"It's just as cold as I expected. When am I supposed to warm up?" Annie asked wiping the water from her face.

Bertholdt swam to her side and took her small frame in his arms and pulled her against his chest. "Well when you start moving around."

Annie pressed her hand against his torso, warmth seemingly flowed into her hand from his chest. Looking up at him Annie bit her lip. "This is pretty warm." She whispered.

Looking down Bertholdt felt a blush rise on his cheeks as he felt Annie pressing herself against his body. Worried that the blood in his cheeks might travel somewhere below his waistline Bertholdt quickly let go of his partner and dived under the water.

"Hey! I'm still cold." Annie protested, but Bertholdt was already swimming away.

From the shoreline, Reiner slapped his forehead. "I knew it. Bertholdt's an idiot."

Zeke narrowed his eyes. "Didn't you tell me to stop staring?"

"Yeah," Reiner shrugged. "But me and Hitch spent ages trying to get those two together on the beach and now he's swimming away."

"He's not is he?" Peick huffed. "I swear it's almost as if he's afraid of her."

Bouncing the ball off of the sand Porco scratched his head. "Maybe he is. From what I've heard Annie can terrifying."

"Hey she's not that bad!" Reiner protested. "If anything Bertholdt is perfect for her."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well," Reiner started. "Bertholdt's always calm, Annie can be… difficult I'll give you that but Berty's cool-headedness lets him get along with her. I mean look, she's in the ocean and she _hates_ the sea."

Humming Proco looked over to the sea. "Yeah you're right… doesn't change the fact he's currently swimming away from her though."

"I-if you want to warm up you have to swim." Bertholdt stuttered as he powered through the water.

Rolling her eyes Annie took a deep breath and cut through the ocean like a knife. She quickly caught up to Bertholdt and brought him to a stop. Now she had him in her hands Annie wasn't going to let him get away. "You asked me to come to the beach, I came here and now you're trying to get away from me. What's going on?"

"It's... Just I don't want to make a fool of myself." He explained.

Once again Annie rolled her arms. "You're making a fool of yourself by swimming away from me. So I'll ask again what's going on?"

Bertholdt swallowed the lump in his throat and looked at Annie, all of her. She was wearing a tight fitting black swimsuit that brought attention to all of her curves and well-toned legs and arms but Bertholdt found his eyes being drawn to her chest and neck. Once again a deep blush appeared on his cheeks.

Annie followed his eyes to her body and smirked. "I see. This is the first time you're seeing me in something like this isn't it?" Bertholdt nodded. "That's why you're all flustered." Once again Bertholdt nodded. "Well to be fair you're giving me a lot to look at as well." She added gesturing to his defined abdomen and broad shoulders.

"What?" Bertholdt gawked.

"I'm telling you that while you're getting all flustered looking at me I'm…" She said trailing off. "I'm getting distracted as well."

"Oh." Was all Bertholdt could say as he saw the faintest traces of a blush on Annie's cheeks.

Annie nodded. "Exactly. So how about we just try to enjoy ourselves… the beach isn't so bad."


	31. Day 31 Anything (Jealousy)

Day 31 - Anything you want - Jealousy

Bertholdt peeked over his book and narrowed his eyes at what he saw. Annie was deep in conversation with Armin as they looked over his notes from the previous class. He was too far away from the two of them to understand what they were saying but Annie seemed highly focused on whatever Armin was talking about.

"Hey. Berty, can you hear me?" Bertholdt was suddenly shaken from his thinking by Reiner's frustrated voice.

Turning to face him Bertholdt sighed. "Sorry. What did you say?"

Reiner pouted. "What were you looking at?"

"N-nothing." Bertholdt stuttered as he turned his attention back to his empty notebook.

"Okay," Reiner announced slamming his book shut. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Bertholdt repeated.

With narrowed eyes Reiner looked across the classroom and he released a heavy sigh when he saw Annie sitting next to Armin. "You're jealous."

"What?" Bertholdt sputtered. "No, I'm not. Why would I be?"

"Because," Reiner huffed rolling his eyes. "Annie is spending time with someone that isn't you. It's okay to feel jealous sometimes."

Bertholdt balled his fists. "I'm not jealous. I just… worry about the way he looks at her."

"Yeah. That's what being jealous is like. Also, he's not actually looking at her," Reiner explained. "If anything he's nearly entirely focused on his work." He added.

"B-but…"

Reiner rested his hands on his friend's shoulders and sighed. "Look. Annie's isn't going to suddenly leave you for Armin just because he helped with her homework."

"But Armin's way smarter than me. He could be good for her. Better than me."

Once again Reiner sighed. "Right, right… because those two look soo in love."

Bertholdt brought his notebook back up to face and continued to watch Annie and Armin from a distance.

* * *

"Are you still looking at them?" Reiner groaned as he leaned against a tree.

Bertholdt looked up at his friend and blush. "No!"

"Right…" Reiner cooed. "Because you'd never watch Eren as he trains with Annie."

"Oh shut up," Bertholdt pouted. "It just looks likes she's really enjoying herself."

Both Reiner and Bertholdt looked over to see Annie sitting on Eren's ass as he fruitlessly struggled to get her off of him. Annie simply smirked at his best efforts with crossed arms while Eren kicked and writhed under her. "I keep telling you. Learn to use your strength, stop coming at me with all your power."

"Easy for you to say," Eren grunted. "You're the one who's always sitting on top."

Annie promptly stood up and brushed down down her clothes. "Are you sure you should be talking a fragile maiden like myself that way?"

Eren stretched his arms over his head once he stood up. "Like a fragile maiden could throw me over her shoulder." He chuckled.

Bertholdt felt his heart sank as he watched Annie giggle as Eren coddled his many bruises. Turning to Reiner he felt his body grow heavy. "See. She'd be much happier with someone who isn't me. Someone "

"Look," Reiner said, growing tired of Bertholdt's constant worry. "How long have Annie and Eren been friends?"

Bertholdt took a moment before answering. "About three years."

Reiner clapped. "Exactly. And how long has she known Armin?"

"Three years."

"And has Annie ever shown the slightest intention of breaking up with you and going out with one of them?"

Bertholdt slowly nodded. "But what if she does?"

"That's it!" Reiner said throwing his arms in the air. "I'm going to have a talk with Annie about your damn insecurities!" The suddenness of his outburst caught Bertholdt off guard, he was too stunned to protest as Reiner stood up and made his way over to Annie. He watched helplessly as Reiner talked, to make it worse Annie would occasionally look over to him with what he assumed to be disappointment in her eyes.

After what felt like an hour Reiner turned around and left, leaving Annie with her eyes locked on him. Each step she took towards him as Annie walked over to him felt like another weight added to his shoulder. As she approached Bertholdt took a deep breath and stood up.

"Hey, Annie." Bertholdt said after wetting his throat.

Annie came to a stop in front of his and crossed her arms. "Is what Reiner told me true?"

"W-what did he tell you?" He asked already knowing the answer.

With ice in her voice, Annie quickly replied. "That you don't trust me."

"Well...not exactly." Bertholdt stuttered.

Rolling her eyes Annie stepped back. "That's what it sounds like. Reiner said you were watching me studying with Armin and when I was training with Eren. So what?"

With a defeated sigh Bertholdt shrugged. "I was worried that you'd see how amazing they were. Armin's way smarter than me and Eren is better at martial arts with me."

Rubbing her temples Annie groaned. "You're right. But what about you?"

"Huh? What about me?"

"What can you do?" Bertholdt simply blinked. "Ugh. If Armin is smarter than you and Eren is a better fighter than you. What are you better at than both of them?"

Twiddling his thumbs Bertholdt felt himself blushing. "I...I'm good at painting I guess."

Annie smirked. "And?"

"And I'm pretty good at sports."

"Exactly. I love your paintings and the way I know you've been painting by the pastels that stick to your fingers," Annie explained, no longer suppress her smile. "I love the way you don't care about the weather because you'll always go out for your run. I love you."

Bertholdt felt his chest tighten with each word. "What?" Was all he could say.

Coming up to his side Annie rolled her eyes as she took his hands. "I'm saying I'm not with you because of what you're not as good as other people at. I'm with you because of how I think you're better at them at."

"What do you mean?"

"Armin is smart," Annie shrugged. "But his head it too deep in books to get how girls work and Eren…" She groaned. "He's as dense as the dirt I throw him into every day. You're the opposite, caring in ways I didn't even expect."

Bertholdt felt a smile picking at his lips. "So…"

"So," Annie giggled as she pulled him down to a kiss. "I could only love someone like you."


End file.
